NÍVEIS SONOROS E ANÁLISE ESPECTRAL EM UMA UTI DE HOSPITAL PÚBLICO DE SOROCABA-SP, BRASIL

Abstract

Noise affects hospitals around the world and can have adverse effects on patients and staff. More sensitive sectors, such as Intensive Care Units (ICU) are widely studied but few studies explore important data, such as frequency spectrum analysis. In this sense, this work aimed to evaluate the sound levels of an ICU together with an analysis of the frequency spectrum. Sound measurements were performed in triplicate for 15 minutes each measurement, on different days of the week, during the day and night, following the recommendations of NBR 10152/2017. The acoustic descriptors used were Leq, Lmin, Lmax in dB and the frequency spectrum was analyzed with a 1/3 octave filter. The results showed that the average sound levels, both for the day and for the night, are above the recommended by the World Health Organization and by NBR 10152, with values above 60 dB. The minimum and maximum levels were greater than 50 and 80 dB respectively. Regarding the frequency spectrum, it was found that the range between 500 to 1000 Hz has a greater influence on the sound levels within the ICU, which correspond to the employees' conversation. It is concluded with this work that the sound levels in the ICU are high and can have adverse effects on patients and employees. Through the analysis of the frequency spectrum, it was possible to identify the main sound source within the ICU, assisting in the decision making of managers to implement noise reduction programs and protocols.