Effectiveness of a noise control program in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a noise control program in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital Universitário Santa Maria (NICU-HUSM) in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Methods: NICU-HUSM professionals were initially contacted through informal interviews during the morning, afternoon and night shifts. Leaflets were delivered and posters were installed to raise awareness of the harmful effects of noise on neonates and professionals and to suggest behavioral changes to reduce noise levels. The suggestions included avoiding loud talking, careful handling of the incubator doors and keeping mobile phones on silent mode. One month later, questionnaires were used to assess behavioral changes since the first contact.

Results: Most of the professionals rated the NICU-HUSM noise level as moderate. Overall, 71.4% of the respondents acknowledged that their behaviors were noisy. The entire sample reported believing that the unit noise levels could be reduced by speaking lower, reacting more quickly to alarms and handling furniture more carefully. The NICU professionals reported adopting these behaviors.

Conclusion: This noise control program was considered successful because the professionals became aware of the level of noise and adopted behavioral changes to avoid generating unnecessary noise.