Relationship between noise levels and intensive care patients' clinical complexity: An observational simulation study.

Background: Noise pollution in intensive care units is a relevant problem, associated with psychological and physiological consequences for patients and healthcare staff. Sources of noise pollution include medical equipment, alarms, communication tools, staff activities, and conversations.

Aims: To explore the cumulative effects of noise caused by an increasing number and type of medical devices in an intensive care setting on simulated patients with increasing clinical complexity.