Environmental noise has been growing in recent years, causing numerous health problems.

Highly sensitive environments such as hospitals deserve special attention, since noise can
aggravate patients’ health issues and impair the performance of healthcare professionals. This
work consists of a systematic review of scientific articles describing environmental noise
measurements taken in hospitals between the years 2015 and 2020(de Lima Andrade, E., da
Cunha e Silva, D.C., de Lima, E.A. et al.). And in addition to this, Florence Nightingale also
stated that unnecessary noise is the most cruel abuse of care which can be inflicted on either
the sick or the well.

Daily exposure to noise can have consequences on the physical, mental and psychological
states of the subject, generating changes in communication, poor performance, fatigue, stress,
illness and work accidents(Costa GL, Lacerda ABM, Marques J). And an article by the
Australian Academy of Science states that sound is an important and valuable part of everyday
life. But when sound becomes noise, it can negatively affect our mental and physical health.
There are a lot of things that contribute to noise, alarms, televisions, rattling trolleys and ringing
phones, as well as staff, visitor and patient conversations are just some of the unwanted noises
that are created inside the hospital. If we do not want to see something, we can close our eyes.
But unfortunately, we cannot close our ears. This makes it difficult to protect ourselves from
unwanted sound.. Unwanted sounds are often called noise pollution. (Chatzilampri G and
Stevens F (2022).

And these unwanted noises can exacerbate the patients’ recovery, these effects include
declines in sleep quality, cognitive processing, speech, and overall physiological well-being.
Patients report that hospital noise can have a cumulative effect on their hospital experience.
Patients who are in hospital for several nights are left feeling trapped and stressed, leading to
requests for premature discharge from hospital and heightened risk of trauma and readmission
(King's College London, 2018).
References:
King's College London. (2018, November 19). Noise pollution in hospitals: A rising problem.
ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 2, 2022 from
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181119064139.htm

de Lima Andrade, E., da Cunha e Silva, D.C., de Lima, E.A. et al. Environmental noise in
hospitals: a systematic review. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 19629–19642 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13211-2

Kamdar, B., Martin, J., & Needham, D. (2017). Noise and Light Pollution in the Hospital: A Call
for Action. Journal of Hospital Medicine, 12(10), 861–862. https://doi.org/10.12788/jhm.2838

‌ hatzilampri, G., & Stevens, F. (2022). Are Noisy Hospitals Making Us Sick? Frontiers for
C
Young Minds, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2021.704123

‌ e Lacerda Costa, G., & Moreira De Lacerda, A. (2013). NOISE ON THE HOSPITAL SETTING:
D
IMPACT ON NURSING PROFESSIONALS’ HEALTH Ruído no contexto hospitalar: impacto na
saúde dos profissionais de enfermagem , Jair Marques (3). 15(3), 642–652.
https://www.scielo.br/j/rcefac/a/7mhTvpW563M7JKYnQN4jMpJ/?
lang=en&format=pdf#:~:text=This%20daily%20exposure%20can%20have