| ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2008 | Volume
: 10
| Issue : 38 | Page : 11--13 |
Noise levels in a tertiary care hospital
A Vinodhkumaradithyaa1, M Srinivasan1, I Ananthalakshmi1, David Pradeep Kumar1, RV Jeba Rajasekhar2, Tennyson Daniel2, P Thirumalaikolundusubramanian3
1 Department of Medicine, Madurai Medical College, Madurai-20, India
2 Department of Environment, School of Energy Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India
3 Institute of Internal Medicine, Madras Medical College, Chennai-03, Tamilnadu, India
Correspondence Address:
A Vinodhkumaradithyaa
30/130 Lake View Garden I Street, K K Nagar, Madurai - 625 020, Tamilnadu
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/1463-1741.39003
High levels of noise in hospitals may interfere with patient care services, the doctor-patient relationship and medical education activities. The aim of this study was to assess the noise level at different places in a tertiary care hospital and suggest measures to reduce the noise. Sound levels of fourteen places inside the hospital were recorded using a Digital Sound Level Meter . A total of 20 readings were taken at three minute intervals between successive recordings during the morning (9 to 10 a.m.) and evening hours (6 to 7 p.m.) and analyzed using simple descriptive statistics. The mean equivalent sound pressure levels (Leq) during the morning and evening hours were 70.38 and 64.46 dB(A) respectively. During the morning hours, the maximum Leq was observed in the mortuary (76.70 dBA) whereas the minimum Leq was in the intensive care unit (I.C.U) (58.34 dBA). The maximum and minimum Leq during evening hours were recorded at O.G (Obstetrics and Gynecology) ward (71.86 dBA) and mortuary (57.08 dBA) respectively. The morning hours showed higher levels of noise in most of the places probably due to overcrowding and higher vehicular movement. This study highlights the need for noise monitoring and control measures inside hospital areas.
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