Sustainable reduction in sound levels on intensive care units through noise management - an implementation study.

Background: The noise levels in intensive care units usually exceed the recommended limits in (inter)national recommendations. Such noise levels can affect both the recovery of intensive care patients and the performance of staff. The aim of this study was to reduce ward-based noise levels in three intensive care units (anesthesiological, neurological, and neonatological).

[Sounds in intensive care units: Perspectives of patients and parents. A qualitative study].

Sounds in intensive care units: Perspectives of patients and parents. A qualitative study Sound levels in intensive care units exceed internationally recommended limits. This can have negative effects on patients, relatives, and staff.

Noise exposure among staff in intensive care units and the effects of unit-based noise management: a monocentric prospective longitudinal study.

Background: Intensive care units (ICUs) are often too noisy, exceeding 70-80 dBA, which can have negative effects on staff. The corresponding recommendation of the World Health Organization (average sound pressure level below 35 dBA) is often not achieved. To date there is a lack of intervention studies examining the extent to which unit-based noise management in ICUs contributes to a reduction in noise exposure for the staff.