Elevated Sound Levels in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: What Is Causing the Problem?
Kelli J Mayhew, Sarah L Lawrence, Janet E Squires and 1 others
PMID 35446264WHAT IT FOUND
NICU sound levels were above 45 dB, and the noise meter was red 90% of the time.
A higher number of people in the room was associated with higher sound, and alarms often were not silenced quickly.
Key findings
01Sound levels were above the AAP recommendation of 45 dB, and the noise meter was red 90% of the time.
02More people in the room was associated with higher sound levels; the number of people in the room ranged from 7 to 34.
03Monitor alarms were often not silenced quickly, with some alarming for greater than 3 minutes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done in one open-bay level III NICU room, so the levels may not match other units. Only 19 shifts were analyzed after the first 2 day shifts were excluded for calibration reasons. Sound was measured at one location in the room, not inside each isolette or radiant warmer, so infant exposure may differ. The study did not observe all possible noise sources, and the model explained 14.5% of sound levels. It describes associations, not effects of interventions, so it cannot show that reducing people or alarms will lower sound.
Declared interests
Author 1 received a grant from the Dr Denise Harrison Chair in Nursing Care of Children, Youth and their Families at the University of Ottawa, which supported equipment for data collection. Authors 2, 3 and 4 reported no funding to disclose, and all authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that reducing the number of people in the room or silencing alarms faster will definitely lower NICU noise. The study observed associations in one NICU, and the model explained 14.5% of sound levels, so unmeasured factors may be important.