Noise in the outpatient operating room

Background: Noise exposure in hospitals can negatively impact both patients and doctors. It can make patients feel more anxious or depressive and can impair doctors' concentration or judgment, potentially leading to poor decision-making or performance. In China, an increasing number of outpatient operating rooms have emerged in recent years for the convenience of patients planning to undergo minor surgery. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of noise exposure in the outpatient operating room and ways to deal with it. Methods: By monitoring noise at different locations in three hospitals, we analyzed the average noise exposure intensity affecting outpatient operative procedures. After noise monitoring, we made some constructive suggestions and other adjustments to reduce and lower the noise exposure in one outpatient operating room [the experimental operating room (EOR)] to observe the feasibility and effectiveness of noise control in and out of the outpatient operating room. Results: Noise intensity in the outpatient operating room was significantly higher than that in the inpatient operating room (68.3±14.7 vs. 45.7±9.6, P<0.05). After noise control, the noise intensity in the EOR decreased significantly (74.5±16.6 vs. 59.2±13.4, P<0.05) but was still higher than that in the inpatient operating room (59.2±13.4 vs. 46.0±9.3, P<0.05) of the same hospital. Further analysis revealed that noise affecting outpatient operating room mainly originates from vehicles outside, medical machines, ambulances, crowds in the outpatient main hall, and communication devices. Conclusions: Noise exposure is a common and serious problem, but measures can be taken to deal with it effectively.