Noise Reduction in the Operating Room

Background and Review of Literature: Excessive noise levels in the operating room (OR) have serious detrimental effects on both patients and providers, such as acoustic trauma, increased heart rate and blood pressure, angina, surgical site infection, fatigue, mental stress, and anxiety. There is currently no set standard endorsed for OR noise levels in the United States. Purpose: The purpose of the project was to reduce noise in the OR which has been shown to impair concentration and communication as well as to determine whether an educational intervention will reduce the average OR noise levels within a surgical case. Methods: This quality improvement project included the use of a decibel reader for data collection purposes. It captured noise levels and stored them for evaluation of noise reduction post-educational intervention to quantify statistical significance. The intervention included an educational awareness campaign. An email was sent to all OR staff informing them of the negative effects associated with elevated noise levels backed by evidence-based research. Additionally, educational fliers were placed in common areas for staff to learn ways to reduce intraoperative noise. Implementation Plan/Procedure: Implementation of noise reduction education materials, along with a pre-intervention and post-education noise level measurement via smartphone application (app) was performed. Implications/Conclusion: There are economical and accessible ways to measure noise levels in the OR, including the use of smartphone apps, that can aid in creating strategies for noise reduction. Implementation of noise reduction remedies such as education-based noise reduction programs, have shown to drastically decrease OR noise levels, postoperative complications, and staff distraction, and increase overall patient outcomes. This project supported the goal of decreasing noise levels in the OR.