Noise measurements in an acute Australian hospital

Many studies have shown that hospital staff and patients are subject to noise levels in excess of those specified in the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. This article presents the results of a single-centre study of noise in four wards in an acute hospital in Adelaide, Australia. The study measured noise in multi-bed bays, as well as nurse stations, and involved continuous noise monitoring between one and three days. For 4-bed and 6-bed patient bays, as well as nurse stations, the maximum, minimum and average equivalent 1-minute A-weighted sound levels were relatively constant from 22:00 until 06:00, increase from 06:00 until 09:00, remain raised until 18:00, and then decrease from 18:00 until 22:00. Measured average equivalent A-weighted noise levels for nurse stations and patient rooms were 56.6 dB(A) and 54.8 dB(A) respectively. Noise levels were higher in the 6-bed bays compared to the 4-bed bays with average equivalent A-weighted noise levels of 55.7 and 54.3 dB(A) respectively. The results were consistent with similar hospital studies, with noise levels exceeding WHO guidelines for patient comfort.