Quiet Please: our Patients are Healing!

Patients are under a significant amount of stress during their hospitalization. Noise is an environmental stressor which is found at increasing levels in hospitals and is a primary annoyance for patients. This environmental pollutant can impair a patient\u27s rest, sleep, and ultimately affect healing. Unwanted noise has been shown to cause sleep disturbance, impair wound healing, trigger hormones affecting the cardiovascular system, immune system, and metabolism as well as perception of pain. Intermittent noises such as those from infusion pumps, monitor alarms, and pagers are the most disturbing. Nightingale believed that unnecessary noise was harmful to the patient\u27s healing; it was the nurse\u27s responsibility to repattern the environment for optimal healing. Implementation of a noise reduction program will enhance a caring healing environment that will support a positive patient experience; such interventions will promote increased patient satisfaction. Through noise reduction, nurses will be afforded opportunities to drive practice changes and improve the quality of care