By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Can Thinking Younger Make You Live Longer?
    April 20, 2011
    Image
    Obesity’s Outlook Unchanged
    June 13, 2011
    When It’s An Emergency Elderly Not Treated As Well in Hospitals
    July 16, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Noisy Hospitals = Patient and Staff Distress
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Hospital Administration > Noisy Hospitals = Patient and Staff Distress
Hospital Administration

Noisy Hospitals = Patient and Staff Distress

chgbeds
Last updated: October 19, 2012 7:37 am
chgbeds
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE







Noisy Hospitals Cause Alarm Fatigue and Patient Distress


A recent study from the University of Chicago revealed that hospital noise is reaching 67 decibels in some environments, which is considerably higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation of 30 decibels in the patient room. Each year, the noise level in hospitals rises by an average of 0.35 decibels. An increasing number of devices are being hooked up to monitors every year, which is creating a sea of constant beeping and numerous patient safety concerns.


More Read

Kindred Healthcare Inc. To Pay $125 Million to Settle Allegations of False Claims
The Patient’s Checklist
Hospitals to patients: Go Away and Don’t Come Back Soon
How Revenue Lifecycle Management Helps Healthcare Providers to Optimize Business Operations
20 Hospitals Using Twitter to Attract, Engage and Retain Patients
When the level of noise increases in the hospital because of high-pitched alarms, a patient’s sleep is more likely to be disturbed. The beeping of patient monitors has been found to be more disruptive to patients that the sounds of human voices or environmental noises like traffic.


Every hour of sleep that is lost can cause a patient’s blood pressure to rise by up to 6 points. Even if a patient’s sleep was not disturbed, high frequency noise can still cause a patient’s heart rate to rise. Hospital noise can also cause higher rates of heart disease, impaired immune function, and increased memory problems and depression in patients.


The effects of hospital noise can lead to other complications. Using sedatives to combat the effects of the sounds could create a higher risk of patient falls. If a patient experiences a fall, he could face an extended hospital stay, causing the patient to experience the noisy environment for even longer.


Nurses and Alarm Fatigue


Nurses experience the constant beeping and high-pitched noises of the hospital on an almost daily basis. The volume (both sound- and number-wise) of alarms has made it difficult for nurses to respond or assess which patients need immediate attention, if any at all. In fact, almost 95% of alarms are said to be alerting nurses to non-actionable events including false alarms.


Alarm fatigue is becoming a growing concern in the health care environment. Because so many devices are hooked up to alarms and the noise is so frequent, nurses are becoming desensitized to the sounds of monitoring alarms. Desensitization can lead to missed alerts or a delayed response in addressing the cause of the alarm, affecting a patient’s quality of care.


Reducing hospital noise is not just an issue of comfort, but an issue of safety for patients and staff. Considering only 5% of alarms are alerting nurses to actionable events, there is little evidence to suggest that alarms should be sounding off 24/7, except when triggering actionable alerts.


There are exceptions, however, as intensive care and cardiac care units require constant patient monitoring due to the delicate nature of the unit.


Patients at risk of falling or wandering also require the use of bed-exit alarms, and are in most instances, actionable. The best solution to minimizing alarm fatigue and the annoyance of bed-exit alarms is to implement an alarm that automatically resets when a patient repositions or gets back into bed.


By silencing and reinstating the alarm without nurse intervention, noise levels can be reduced and false alarms can be eliminated.


Curbing the noise level can help patients rest and recover in the hospital without fearing noise-related adverse effects like insomnia or heart complications. Nurses can benefit from a focused work environment without the distraction of unnecessary beeping and alarms. Reducing the noise level by limiting the number of alarms can help hospitals meet the 30 decibel range suggested by the WHO.


 

TAGGED:hospitalsnoise
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

Facility Fees For Office Visits: What is the Role of Health Plans?

March 13, 2013

Physicians Leaving – Things Just Aren’t Working Out Between Us….

September 28, 2011
Product Details
BusinessHospital AdministrationMedical Ethics

Ethical Decisions: Strong Leadership and Effective Planning Are Key

June 29, 2014
New Insights into Bundled Payments
BusinessFinanceHospital Administration

4 Questions to Ask About Bundled Payments

January 31, 2015
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?