Abstract
Noise can adversely affect human beings in physiologic and emotional aspects. Though there is so much noise in the medical environments, little emphasis has ever laid on it. The purpose of this project is to lower the noise in wards to limit its hurt to the patients and staffs. Ten major sources of noise were identified by questionnaires and checklist. Sound from moving carriages, calling bell-rings, talks from the staff, and the families occupy are top four of the list in order. From this information, we made proposal to get improvement through fixing and rearranging objects on the carriage, educating the staffs and patients, reinforcing the perception to noise injury and good manners, and making and following the ward rules for noise control. Encouraging results were obtained on appraisal. The intensity of noise from moving carriages has lowered from 75dB to 35dB. Frequency of bell-rings has decreased from 16 times/day to 9 times/day. The completion rate of noise control in ward rules attains 87.5%. The application of this project has successfully lowered the noise in wards. Continuous following and amelioration are imperative to maximally decrease the noise and improve the quality of medical care.
| Translated title of the contribution | A Project to Reduce Environmental Noise at a Hospital Ward |
|---|---|
| Original language | Chinese (Traditional) |
| Pages (from-to) | 75-81 |
| Journal | 慈濟護理雜誌 |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 2003 |
Keywords
- medical environment
- noise