Noise in the adult emergency department of Johns Hopkins Hospital.

While hospitals are generally noisy environments, nowhere is the pandemonium greater than in an emergency department, where there is constant flow of patients, doctors, nurses, and moving equipment. In this noise study we collected 24 h measurements throughout the adult emergency department of Johns Hopkins Hospital, the top ranked hospital in the U.S.

Noise levels in Johns Hopkins Hospital.

This article presents the results of a noise survey at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Results include equivalent sound pressure levels (L(eq)) as a function of location, frequency, and time of day. At all locations and all times of day, the L(eq) indicate that a serious problem exists.