Noise, Hearing, and Communication in the Operating Room: A Mixed-Methods Study

To evaluate noise-related communication barriers in the operating room and to identify strategies for overcoming them.

Cross-sectional mixed-methods survey.

Tertiary academic medical center.

An anonymous 21-item electronic survey was distributed to operating room personnel, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, residents, medical students, nurses, and allied health professionals. Items assessed hearing difficulties, baseline hearing loss, communication barriers, coping strategies, and intervention preferences. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression; open-text responses underwent thematic analysis.

Among 225 survey respondents 80.4% (181/225) reported difficulty hearing in the OR and 14.7% (33/225) reported difficulty every case. All respondents with suspected or confirmed hearing loss reported hearing difficulty during surgery. Respondents with ≥5 years of OR exposure had higher odds of diagnosed hearing loss versus <5 years (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.2-7.9; P = .024); there was no association by age (P = .89). Among hearing aid users, 88% struggled to understand speech in the OR. Communication was most challenging in orthopedic cases (31%), with environmental noise sources (suction, drills, music, alarms) frequently cited (29%), and during robotic surgery (24%). Common self-accommodations included asking for repetition, anticipating steps, environmental adjustments, and positioning. Qualitative themes emphasized challenges arising from ambient noise, physical barriers, and psychosocial factors such as hierarchy or lack of psychological safety.

Noise-related hearing and communication barriers were reported across all OR roles. Interventional studies are needed to assess the role of acoustic, cultural, and technological strategies for overcoming hearing barriers and promoting effective teamwork.