Effects of noise on the health of staff working in therapy areas and waiting rooms with noise level measurements at a tertiary care institution.

Abstract

Background: Noise is defined as any sound that is produced in time, place or condition that comes to be perceived to such an extent that it can cause sensorineural hearing loss, observed between 75 and 78 dB. Objective: To describe the effects of noise on staff working in therapy areas and waiting rooms in a tertiary care institution and the sound pressure level of each place. Materials and methods: Observational, cross-sectional, relational analytical level, the universe of work is the base staff, who work in rehabilitation therapy areas and waiting rooms at the INR LGII. Results: 56 workers who work in 10 waiting and therapy rooms were included, an age between 26 and 73 years was observed; female sex predominating 48 (86%); (50%) has an age of 21 to 30 years, it is reported that 28 (50%) perceive a moderate noise level and 17 (30%) strong, whose effects cause stress and irritability, the tonal audiometry showed 17 (30%) right superficial hearing loss and 16 (29%) left, acoustic trauma in 3 (6%) right ear and 2 (4%) in the left, the EMOAS showed decreasing frequency response from 1.5 to 12 from 88% to 11% in the right ear and from 91 to 18% for the left ear. Discussion: 7 rooms evaluated exceed 65 dB, a value defined by WHO as noise, in the tonal audiometry acoustic trauma was observed, with a slight decrease in the hearing threshold frequency of 4 and 6 kHz and recovery in the frequency of 8 kHz. Conclusion: Normal hearing was the most frequent diagnosis, however, there are participants with hearing damage, and exposure to occupational noise in waiting rooms in healthcare institutions is very little studied.