[Noise reduction at an emergency intensive care unit of medical center in southern Taiwan].
This project was the result of numerous complaints from patients and their families about high levels of human and mechanical noise inside the emergency intensive care unit (EICU) of a major medical center in southern Taiwan. Other complaints were made by members of the medical staff, who claimed that they could not hear the alarms built into medical equipment. The project entailed a data inventory, analysis, and the identification of noise sources. Maximum mechanical noise level was measured at 79.6 dBA. After classifying noise sources as non-mechanical or mechanical, we established a list of objectives and used 13 approaches to achieve them. As a result, average reduction in mechanical noise volume was 11.72 dBA (14.47%) and in non-mechanical noise volume 10.5 dBA (14.0%). Still, we were only successful in protecting 50% of all EICU patients from noise disturbance levels according to the guidelines established in the Noise Prevention Act that is used in the United States. We therefore recommend that noise monitoring systems be added in order to increase the percentage of EICU patients who are protected from unnecessary noise.
Hwang
Lee-Yu
LY
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan, ROC.
Huang
Shan
S
Hsiao
Shih-Huai
SH
Wang
Mei-Wen
MW
D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D009622:Noise / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013624:Taiwan