Noise Pollution in a German Hospital: Level Measurements and Survey Results on the Wards

Objective: International literature studies indicate significant noise pollution in many hospital departments. The crucial objective of this study was to collect reliable and comprehensive data on the acoustic situation in typical German hospitals. Methods: At selected wards (normal and intensive care) continuous sound level measurements were performed over three weeks. At the end of each shift, the employees were asked to fill out a "Questionnaire on the Acoustic Situation on the Ward" in which they were to state how noisy they perceived the shift and which noise-related impairments they had perceived to the extent of noise-related errors. Results: Compared to the normal ward, all acoustic parameters are significantly higher in all three layers in the intensive care unit. This applies in particular to the median figures, the sound levels which are not exceeded 50% of the time. The higher parameters therefore do not rely so much on individual particularly noisy occurrences. Instead, the sound level on the intensive care unit is relatively high over long periods of time. Furthermore, both Leq and Median remain at a higher level during the night. Concerning the strain, the responses of employees of the intensive care unit correspond to the acoustic measurements: The early shift is evaluated somewhat more negatively than the late shift, and both are statistically significantly different from the evaluation of the night shift in all items. On the normal ward the evaluations of the early and the night reflect the acoustic differences. Conclusion: In comparison, the measured sound levels per shift type are perceived subjectively as a disturbing factor for each individual work performance. However, the coherence is non-linear resp. monocausal, as shown by the noise-related data in the late shift on the normal ward. Noise is to be considered as one of various stress factors in the workplace "hospital".