Are emergency care departments too noisy?
Authors:
Ghadah Alghbewi
, Faten Khayat
, Nejood Alsheikh
, Abdulmajid Asiri
, Mohammad Alsaif
, Reem Alsalamah
, Majid Alsalamah
Abstract
Background: Noise pollution is a serious issue that faces healthcare centers. It is associated with detrimental effects on both the patient's and the healthcare provider's mental and physical well-being. It could also negatively impact the physician's decision-making. Aim: There are no similar studies conducted in the past 5 years in Saudi Arabia. This is the first study to measure noise levels and deem them pollutants in an emergency care center in Saudi Arabia. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the emergency department (ED) of a tertiary care hospital to assess the level of noise pollution. Noise levels were evaluated in the ED by using a calibrated decibel meter device in three selected units including resuscitation, acute care, and pediatrics unit. Noise levels were only measured during weekdays. In each unit, readings were obtained over 24 hours. Results: Over 24 hours, measurements of all assessed units showed that noise levels exceeded WHO guidelines for hospitals, which recommend sound levels below 40 decibels (dB). Among all clinical areas, the pediatric unit exhibited the highest noise spike (97.3 dB), followed by the resuscitation unit (88.5 dB), and the acute care unit (87.3 dB). Conclusion: Noise levels were high in all the assessed units, which places the patient's well-being and recovery at risk. Moreover, high noise levels could contribute to adverse outcomes for the healthcare provider. More studies should focus on assessing the noise levels in other departments and the efficacy of different intervention methods.Keywords: Hospital, emergency care, noise, pollution, sound, noise control, noise prevention
Pubmed Style
Ghadah Alghbewi, Faten Khayat, Nejood Alsheikh, Abdulmajid Asiri, Mohammad Alsaif, Reem Alsalamah, Majid Alsalamah. Are emergency care departments too noisy?. SJE Med. 2023; 23 (August 2023): 087-091. doi:10.24911/SJEMed/72-1680721527
Publication History
Received: April 05, 2023
Accepted: May 28, 2023
Published: August 23, 2023
Authors
Ghadah Alghbewi
College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Faten Khayat
College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Nejood Alsheikh
College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Abdulmajid Asiri
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Mohammad Alsaif
Professor of Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Reem Alsalamah
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Majid Alsalamah
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center Riyadh, Saudi Arabia