Clinical review: The impact of noise on patients’ sleep and the effectiveness of noise reduction strategies in intensive care units
2009
Critical Care
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 13
Pages 208–216
Author(s): Xie, H., Kang, J., Mills, G. H.
The World Health Organization recommends that noise levels in hospitals stay below 30 dBA at night to allow for better rest, yet excessive noise is prevalent in many healthcare settings, including intensive care units (ICUs). Research indicates that, since the 1960s, noise levels in hospitals increased by an average of 0.38 dBA (day) and 0.42 dBA (night) per year. Other research reports that the noise level in ICUs ranges from 50 to 75 dBA, with a night peak level soaring to 103 dBA. It’s easy to see why sleep disturbance is common among these vulnerable patients.
Added February 2014
Servicescape: Physical environment of hospital pharmacies and hospital pharmacists’ work outcomes
2008
Health Care Management Review
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 33
Pages 156-168
Author(s): Lin, B.Y.-J., Leu, W.-J., Breen, G.-M., Lin, W.-H.
Researchers have studied the healthcare work environment from a number of angles, from an organizational behavior perspective honing in on motivation and reward, to an occupational and environmental perspective concerned with comfort and ergonomics, to a pathogenic perspective interested in exposure to disease. The idea of a “servicescape” has arisen in healthcare marketing to investigate the impact of the physical environment of service settings on employees’ psychological states and perceptions.
Added February 2014
Same-Handed and Mirrored Unit Configurations: Is There a Difference in Patient and Nurse Outcomes?
2011
Journal of Nursing Administration
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 41
Pages 273-279
Author(s): Watkins, N., Kennedy, M., Ducharme, M., Padula, C.
Awareness of the impact of healthcare facility design on a number of diverse patient and staff outcomes is growing. From patient recovery time, satisfaction, and comfort to nursing staff efficiency, error rates, and distraction, varied outcomes are being linked to environmental conditions and design attributes in hospital settings. Inpatient unit configurations, specifically same-handed configurations vs. mirrored units, are a particular area of interest for researchers, with implications for practitioners and patient care. Same-handed configurations, which standardize all rooms within a unit such that they are all identical, may allow for reduced noise as headwalls are no longer shared.
Added February 2014
Efficacy of controlling night-time noise and activities to improve patients’ sleep quality in a surgical intensive care unit
2011
Journal of Clinical Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 3-4
Volume 20
Pages 396–407
Author(s): Li, S., Wang, T., Wu, S. F. V., Liang, S., Tung, H.
In the intensive care unit (ICU), noises, continuous lighting, and constant care-related activities disrupt patients’ sleep. Patients also may struggle to sleep because they are in an unfamiliar environment, feel isolated, are in pain, have various tubes or other equipment to deal with, as well as just general treatment activities.
Added January 2014
Sound Spectral Analysis in the Intensive Care Nursery: Measuring High-Frequency Sound
2008
Journal of Pediatric Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 23
Pages 317-324
Author(s): Kellam, B., Bhatia, J.
Little is known about how high-frequency, prolonged intense noise effects auditory development in preterm infants. However, some research indicates that premature infants who are exposed to persistent noise might experience some interference with their development of frequency discrimination and problems with sound-pattern recognition.
Added January 2014
Noise Levels in a General Surgical Ward: a descriptive study
2005
Journal of Clinical Nursing
Journal Article
Author(s): Christensen, M.
The noise levels in many UK hospitals exceed those recommended by the World Health Organization, yet are so prevalent that healthcare providers tend to think of them as just part of the working environment. However, current ward-based research is dated, perhaps indicating that the control of noise in these areas is perceived as insurmountable.
Added January 2014
Neonatal Response to Control of Noise Inside the Incubator
2001
Pediatric Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 27
Pages 600-606
Author(s): Johnson, A. N.
Premature infants are at risk for long-term neurologic, cognitive, and behavioral problems. Therefore, supporting these medically fragile infants as they adapt to life outside the womb by decreasing possible environmental stressors, such as noise, is important. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee of Environmental Hazards recommends that neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) sound levels below 45 dB. Yet these babies are often in incubators, which are associated with higher sound levels from the equipment and surrounding environment.
Added January 2014
Nighttime Noise Issues That Interrupt Sleep After Cardiac Surgery
2011
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 26
Pages 88–95
Author(s): Spence, J., Murray, T., Tang, A. S., Butler, R. S., Albert, N. M.
Hospital unit environments have excessive environmental ambient sound levels. In cardiac-surgical, general, and neonatal intensive care units, sound levels were commonly more than 50 dBand spiked to 80 dB and 100.9 dB. Common sounds associated with routine care in a postsurgical intermediate care unit have a decibel level in the range of heavy truck traffic (about 80 dB). Noise influences the physiological state of sleep. It is important to reduce nurse-generated and environmental noise when patients are trying to sleep.
Added January 2014
Mapping the Nursing Process: A New Approach for Understanding the Work of Nursing
2007
Journal of Nursing Administration
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 34
Pages 101-109
Author(s): Potter, P., Grayson, D., Boxerman, S., Sledge, J., Wolf, L., Evanoff, B., Marshall, J.
Over the last 10 years, hospitals have tried to reconcile patients’ demands for high-quality, safe care along with payers’ demands for lower costs. As a result, many hospitals are looking for ways to streamline work processes, gain productivity, reduce costs, and maintain quality. Human factors engineering (HFE) techniques, drawn from the sciences of industrial engineering, ergonomics, and mathematics, have been used to analyze clinical care processes and restructure patient care delivery.
Added January 2014
Qualitative Analysis of Therapeutic Light Effects on Global Function in Alzheimer’s Disease
2011
Western Journal of Nursing Research
Journal Article
Issue 9
Volume 33
Pages 933-952
Author(s): Nowak, L., Davis, J.
The occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is growing, with 68% of cases occurring in women. In addition to declines in global function, patients with AD experience reversal of day–night patterns, disturbed sleep–wake rhythms, and excessive daytime sleepiness, making managing AD difficult. Symptom management includes pharmacologic measures, environmental or milieu management, and behavioral interventions.
Added January 2014
Direct observation of behavior: a review of current measures for use with older adults with dementia
2008
Research in Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 1
Pages 52-76
Author(s): Curyto, K.J., Van Haitsma, K., Vriesman, D.K.
There are a number of methods to assess specific areas of behavior when evaluating changes in functioning, assessing the effects of an intervention, or measuring the effectiveness of a program of care. Some of these methods include: self-report, caregiver report, and family report of person-specific behaviors. However, self-reporting by dementia patients is often not reasonable given their cognitive decline and communication challenges. Ratings from other people can introduce measurement errors.
Added January 2014
The sound environment in an ICU patient room—a content analysis of sound levels and patient experiences
2012
Intensive and Critical Care Nursing
Journal Article
Author(s): Johansson, L., Bergbom, I., Wayeb, K. P., Ryherd, E., Lindahl, B.
This study was a prestudy for the planning and design of a larger one, where the aim is to investigate the relationship between sound (objective and subjective) and adult intensive care unit (ICU) delirium and/or other factors. It used sound measurement, behavioral observation, and interview methods. The results provide a good list of sound/noise impact on patients and subsequent ICU design considerations.
Added January 2014
Can modifications to the bedroom environment improve the sleep of new parents? Two randomized controlled trials
2011
Research in Nursing & Health
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 34
Pages 7-19
Author(s): Lee, K. A., Gay, C. L.
One of the major challenges of new parenthood is adjusting to the sleep disruption that comes with caring for a newborn. Parents-to-be know that caring for an infant with random sleep and feeding patterns will mean sleep deprivation and fatigue, but few are prepared for the actual physical and emotional demands.
Added January 2014
Person-Environment Interactions Contributing to Nursing Home Resident Falls
2009
Research in Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 2
Pages 287-294
Author(s): Hill, E. E., Nguyen, T. H., Shaha, M., Wenzel, J. A., DeForge, B. R., Spellbring, A. M.
Falls are common for older adults, with significant consequences, including injuries and even death as well as healthcare costs. However, few studies have looked at environmental factors, such as lighting, equipment, and slippery floor surfaces, as potential risk factors for falls by nursing home residents. This study explores the risk factors associated with resident falls in a nursing home using a focus group.
Added January 2014
Noise in the Operating Room—What Do We Know? A Review of the Literature
2010
Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 25
Pages 380-386
Author(s): Hasfeldt, D., Laerkner, E., Birkelund, R.
Noise is a general stressor and should be avoided in the operating room (OR). However, over the last 10 years, while the focus has been on preventing air pollution and maximizing sterility in the OR, very little attention has gone toward preventing noise pollution. Meanwhile, there is more and more noisy technological equipment in the OR, and it can be assumed that problems with noise in the OR have not decreased.
Added January 2014
Patients’ Interactions in an Intensive Care Unit and Their Memories of Intensive Care: A Mixed Method Study
2013
Intensive and Critical Care Nursing
Journal Article
Author(s): Meriläinen, M, Kyngäs, H, Ala-Kokko, T
The various equipment and devices in the intensive care unit (ICU) make it the most technologically sophisticated environment in any hospital. But, from a patient’s perspective, being connected to various devices; experiencing unsettling noises, smells, lighting, and uncomfortable temperatures; and enduring the perceptions of other patients as care objects can cause both physical and mental stress.
Added January 2014
Bathing people with dementia: when education is not enough
2012
Journal of Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 9
Volume 38
Pages 43-51
Author(s): Gaspard, G., Cox, L.
Dementia is increasing at the rate of one case every 7 seconds. As such, the need for methods for caring for these patients with dignity also increases. Current research indicates that many people with dementia respond negatively to bathing, in part because they don’t feel comfortable being naked in front of other people or with unfamiliar bathing equipment, and may develop resistant behaviors.
Added January 2014
The Work of Adult and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Nurses
2013
Nursing Research
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 62
Pages 50-58
Author(s): Douglas,. S., Cartmill, T., Brown, R., Hoonakker, P., Slagle, J., Van Roy, K. S, Walker, J, M.
Over the years, researchers have employed a variety of methods to describe and quantify nursing work. However, much of this research looked at nursing in general care settings and not at the unique work nurses perform in intensive care units (ICUs). This study uses behavioral task analysis to observe activities performed by adult ICU (AICU) and pediatric ICU (PICU) nurses as well as to compare the time they spent on various tasks across four different ICUs.
Added January 2014
Influence of nursing unit layout on staff communication and interaction patterns
2008
Doctoral Dissertation: Cornell University,
Thesis
Author(s): Dutta, R.
The quality and design of the built environment has acquired a very significant role in improving patient and staff satisfaction in terms of overall healthcare experience. There is evidence from health care and beyond that working in teams enhances an organization’s effectiveness, produce a better patient care both in terms of improving health delivery and staff motivation, and in superior patient outcomes. Communication among all team members of the groups is essential for the success of delivering healthcare services.
Added November 2012
Physical Environment and Job Satisfaction in a Community Mental Health Center.
1977
Community Mental Health Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 13
Pages 24-30
Author(s): Folkins, C., O’Relly, C., Roberts, K., Miller, S.
Psychological evidence suggests that behavior is affected by situational and environmental settings. The health care satisfaction with physical environment contributes to overall job satisfaction of medical staff. Physical surroundings in a community mental health center may be a mediating variable for staff morale and effectiveness. Environmental effects could have dramatic implication for a mental health professionals who constantly must make decisions about patients on the basis of subjective impressions of appearance and behavior. The study deals with staff attitudes in the outpatient clinics of a community mental health center.
Added November 2012
