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Traffic and noise in children's wards
1University of Adelaide Department of Paediatrics, Adelaide Children's Hospital.
Insights
Pediatric open bay ward areas experience high patient visit volumes and noise levels, impacting sick children's care. Modifying or abolishing these areas and implementing noise control are recommended.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Environmental Health in Hospitals
- Hospital Design and Patient Outcomes
Background:
- Open bay ward areas are common in pediatric settings.
- High traffic and noise levels may negatively affect patient care and recovery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify pedestrian traffic and noise levels in pediatric open bay areas.
- To assess the impact of these factors on the care of sick children.
Main Methods:
- Pedestrian traffic (entrances and visit duration) and noise levels (dB(A)) were recorded over 24-hour periods in two pediatric open bay wards.
- Data collection occurred between August and October 1992, assessing eight 24-hour periods.
Main Results:
- Average daily visits per patient were high, with significant peak hours.
- Many visits were brief (<1 minute).
- Maximum noise levels correlated with peak traffic volumes, reaching up to 64.6 dB(A).
Conclusions:
- Pediatric open bay areas generate substantial traffic and noise.
- Consideration should be given to modifying or eliminating open bay designs.
- General noise reduction strategies are advised.
Objective:
To measure pedestrian traffic volumes and noise levels in paediatric open bay areas and discuss their impact on the care of sick children.
Methods:
Between August and October 1992, we recorded the number and duration of entrances to two open bay areas comprising eight and ten beds respectively in a ward for infants and a ward for older children. Eight 24-hour periods (1200 to 1200) Friday to Saturday were assessed. Noise levels in decibels dB(A) were measured at 15-minute intervals.
Results:
In an average 24-hour period, 5.5 (SD +/- 1.3) patients in the infants' ward and 9.5 (SD +/- 0.6) patients in the children's ward received 617 (SD +/- 85) and 683 (SD +/- 64) visits by 104 (SD +/- 20) and 110 (SD +/- 2) individuals respectively. The maximum numbers of visits per hour were 57 (SD +/- 14) and 54 (SD +/- 8) visits between 1500 and 1600 hours on Friday for each ward. Visits tended to be brief; 225 (SD +/- 23) and 217 (SD +/- 34) visits were of less than one minute's duration. The maximum noise levels of 57.3 dB(A) (SD +/- 6.3) and 64.6 dB(A) (SD +/- 3.5) occurred at 1000 Saturday and 1900 Friday and coincided with peak traffic volumes.
Conclusions:
Open bay areas generate high traffic volumes and coincident noise. Consideration should be given to either modifying or abolishing open bay areas and to general noise control measures.