Reducing Noise Levels in Intensive Care Units Using Noise Monitoring Technology

Intensive care units require many medical procedures, activities, machines, and staff that contribute to high levels of noise. These high noise levels have been found to cause adverse psychological and/or physiological health effects related to sleep disturbances, increased anxiety, and increased stress. These health effects may lead to decreased patient satisfaction. The purpose of this proposal is to explore the effectiveness of the SoundEar 3-300 device in decreasing levels of noise and as a result, increasing patient satisfaction. The current research indicates that the SoundEar 3-300 device is successful at reducing hospital noise levels. This device allows for the measurement and visualization of noise levels in the area in which it is placed. The SoundEar device lights up green when noise levels are below 60 dB, orange if noise levels are between 60 dB and 70 dB, and red if noise levels increase above 70 dB. Data will be collected throughout the day shift at the beginning and end of a three-month period. The first 7 days will serve as the control, and the devices will be placed near each nurse’s station with no explanation and with the light indicators turned off. During the initial 7 days, patient satisfaction surveys related to unit noise levels will be completed by applicable patients on the unit. At the start of the second week, unit staff would be made aware of the device, what the colors indicate, and its importance. At the end of three months, data will be collected over another week. Outcomes will be evaluated by gathering mean ambient sound levels determined at each time interval as well as patient satisfaction surveys gathered throughout the three months. The desired outcome is that patient satisfaction will increase and unit noise will decrease by an average of 5 dB

The Impact of a 12-Hour Shift Compared to an 8-Hour Shift on Nurse Health and Safety

Abstract Background: An international healthcare concern is extensive shift length among registered nurses and the negative factors associated with nurse burnout. Cognitive impairment, medical errors, sleep deprivation, job dissatisfaction, and overall declined health and safety of nurses have been associated to long shift work hours among registered nurses globally. However, there is limited published evidence about the difference between 8-hour and 12-hour shift work. Objective: This systematic review summarized evidence on the impact that 12-hour shifts compared to 8-hour shifts has on the health and safety of registered nurses. Methods: PubMed, SCOPUS, EBSCOHost, NCBI, Google Scholar, and APHA’s Medical Care databases were searched, covering the period from 2010-2021. Studies were included if their focus concentrated on nurses working 12-hour shifts in comparison to 8-hour shifts. All were of observational design. Results: Upon analysis of 12 peer-reviewed studies, in which data was collected on roughly 36,709 nurses in 8 countries, the findings indicate that shift length is in fact a contributing factor in nurse health and safety internationally. Adverse outcomes that frequently occur with extensive shift length are exhaustion, fatigue, burnout, sleep deprivation/inefficiency, job dissatisfaction, cognitive impairment, and medical errors. These outcomes play a role in diminishing emotional, physical, and mental health and safety of registered nurses. Conclusions: Longer shift lengths for registered nurses is associated with greater health and safety decline for nurses. Policy interventions are needed to resolve the shift hours required of registered nurses