Exploring the sound environment in neonatal intensive care units as perceived by medical professionals

TL;DR

Medical professionals identify noisy and quiet scenarios in NICUs and factors affecting sound environments that could disturb preterm infants.

Contribution

The study provides insights into how specific care scenarios and sound factors influence the NICU environment as perceived by medical staff.

Findings

Noise levels in NICUs fluctuate based on care scenarios and sudden sounds can disturb infants even during quiet periods.

Overlapping noise sources during care procedures affect the sound environment and may impact preterm infants negatively.

Abstract

This study aimed to identify specific care scenarios and procedures perceived as noisy or quiet by medical professionals working in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and elucidate factors influencing the sound environment that may affect preterm infants.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 nurses and eight doctors working in the NICU. Participants identified care and procedural situations perceived as noisy or quiet for preterm infants. Specific sound environment factors that could potentially affect preterm infants were extracted and visualized to demonstrate the interrelationships among these factors.

Medical professionals recognized that noise levels fluctuated based on specific care scenarios, with sudden sounds and background noises amplifying disturbances in otherwise quiet settings. Participants also identified the overlap of multiple noise sources in various locations, including continuous beeping or other disruptive noises, as potentially affecting preterm infants.

Because noise levels in the NICU fluctuate during specific care scenarios, comparative verification of noise levels inside and outside the incubator is necessary. The present results revealed that even in periods perceived as quiet, sudden sounds and background noises may amplify disturbances to preterm infants. Furthermore, because overlapping noise sources during care and procedures affect the sound environment, empirical evaluation of sound quality by measuring noise during quiet hours is recommended.

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