Assignment: Noise Reduction Project

Assignment: Noise Reduction Project
Assignment: Noise Reduction Project
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The author of this paper wants to present the proposal of a Night Time Noise Reduction Project
in the hospital for the funding to the board. Sleep is the essential part of human life and it is related to the normal functioning of the body. According to Ulrich and Joseph, “Hospitals are extremely noisy, and noise levels in most hospitals far exceed recommended guidelines” (Joseph and Ulrich, 2007). The noise of the hospitals includes the noise from machine and equipments, staffs conversation, roommates, alarms, intercoms and pagers. This author is a registered nurse who wants to propose the night time noise reduction project for the improvement of the quality and patient outcome. She is well aware of the various issues worsened by the noise-induced stress affecting not only the patients but also the family members. Therefore, I hope this kind of project will help to reduce noise during night time promoting the quality care to patients and great hospital environment.
Purpose
There is plenty of evidence that sleep is a biological necessity, and disturbed sleep is associated with a number of health problems. Noise heightens the anxiety and stress and lead to physiological responses such as facial grimacing, muscular flexion, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate and vasoconstriction; also slows the healing process. Moreover, nurses’ performance is highly affected by the hospital environment; nurse working in noisy environment complaints of exhaustion, burnout, irritability and depression (Mazer S.E., 2012). Night noise has various effects such as increase in heart rate, arousals, increase in medicine use and insomnia (WHO, 2009). The main purpose of this project is to access the noise level of the hospital units and contribute to the maintenance of sound environment using Yacker Tracker device. This project also aims to generate awareness about the consequences of noise in the health of patients and staffs.
Target Population
A large number of groups are at risk due to hospital noise especially at night. Elderly people and pregnant women at higher risk, besides them children and patients with ill health are also considered as risk groups. To add up, registered nurses and shift workers are also at risk as their sleep structure is under stress (WHO, 2009).
Benefits
A number of aspects of health and quality of life are associated with the sleep and these aspects are impaired with disturbance in sleep. Therefore, sound sleep is essential for the patients and various measures should be applied to maintain the peaceful and quiet environment in the hospital especially at night time as a component of patient care. Many studies has shown that various pilot projects were initiated for the reduction of noise in the hospital and they all have positive outcome leading to the sound hospital environment and sound sleep of patients at night. This project aims to promote the patients health and create great environment for the workers by reducing the noise at night. Sleep deprivation results in unsatisfied patients and that ultimately causes the declination of the overall rating of hospitals. This may also affect the hospital revenue in the long term. Therefore, the Night Time Noise Reduction project helps to cope with such consequences in the long run.