Noise level and frequency experienced by premature infants receiving incubator care in the neonatal intensive care unit

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the noise level and frequency experienced by premature infants receiving incubator care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: The participants were 20 premature infants receiving incubator care in the NICU of a university hospital in Daejeon Metropolitan city. The noise level was measured using a professional sound-level meter (ET-958, FLUS, Shenzhen, China) based on a noise classification table developed by the author. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, the t-test, analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficients using SPSS for Windows version 22.0. Results: The average noise level experienced by premature infants receiving incubator care in the NICU was 51.25 dB (range: 45.0~81.7 dB). The frequency of noises was highest for factors related to nursing activities (40.3%), followed by human factors (29.1%), machine alarm sounds (20.1%), incubator operation (6.6%), and internal environmental factors (3.9%). Conclusion: According to the above results, the noise level experienced by premature infants receiving incubator care in the NICU exceeded the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an interventional program to reduce noise in the NICU, and to conduct follow-up studies to verify its effectiveness.