Rising hospital risk factor -- noise

A Johns Hopkins study finds hospital noise levels have been increasing consistently since 1960, upping the stress for physicians and patients alike.

By Damon Adams, AMNews staff. Dec. 26, 2005.

Surgeon Michael Rhodes, MD, remembers the white-hat nurse who shushed hospital visitors with the touch of a finger to her lips. Her picture greeted guests to many hospitals from the 1940s through the 1960s.

But the sign has mostly disappeared, and with it, much of the quiet it encouraged.

A new Johns Hopkins University study found that noise levels at hospitals in the United States and around the world have risen steadily during the past five decades. For physicians and nurses, the growing decibels contribute to stress and a greater risk of medical errors. For patients, excessive noise can slow the healing process.

"At one time, the idea of eliminating excess noise was a valued asset. It has kind of lost its value," said Dr. Rhodes, chair of the Dept. of Surgery at Christiana Care Health System, based in Wilmington, Del.

So just how noisy is it?

The average daytime level grew from 57 decibels in 1960 to 72 decibels today, according to the Johns Hopkins study released in November.

For physicians and patients, it's as if they went from being surrounded by the humming of an electric shaver to being bombarded with the racket of a garbage disposal.

At night, hospital noise levels grew from 42 decibels in 1960 -- the same level of a quiet office or library -- to 60 decibels today, similar to the noise of a sewing machine.

The rates are far above the 1995 World Health Organization recommended guidelines that hospital noise not exceed 35 decibels during the day and 30 decibels at night. At those levels, the hospital would be filled with no more sound than a soft whisper.