Download or read book Relationship Between Patient Acuity and Critical Care Noise written by Caryl J. Moulder and published by . This book was released on 1997-05-01 with total page 85 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Noise has become a major environmental problem and public health concern in most industrialized countries (Bowling & Edelman, 1987). Hospitals are noisy at times, despite the perception that they are a place for rest and recuperation. Redding, Hargest, and Minsky (1977) reported that the background noise in four intensive care units (IC Us) was as loud as the hospital cafeteria at noon. The Environmental Protection Agency (1974) recommended that the noise levels in hospitals not exceed 45 decibels (dB) during the day and 35 dB at night. During a 24-hour period, average sound levels typically ranged from 55 to 65 dB, A-weighted (dBA), with peaks reaching 85 to 90 dBA (Aitken, 1982; Falk & Woods, 1973; & Seidlitz, 1981). Redding et al. (1977) reported that healthy individuals react negatively to noise at levels of 45-55 dB but their reactions become vigorous at 65 dB.