Authors (including presenting author) :
Au CL (1), Chung SW (1), Lai KY (1), Ma PK (DOM, P&AM, UCH), Chan YL (NC, P&AM, UCH), Yau CM (WM, P&AM, UCH)
Affiliation :
(1)RN, NICU, Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine (P&AM), United Christen Hospital (UCH)
Introduction :
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that noise level in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) should be at or below 45 dB(A). However, there was a range of noise levels as high as 60 to 72 dB(A) in a local Level III NICU. Because of the complexity of the environment and adequacy of the knowledge of noise level in NICU, it is often difficult for nurses to be aware of the detrimental effects to the patients. Therefore, a project targeted to improve the nurses’ knowledge and awareness of the environment in the NICU.
Objectives :
The objectives of this project were to (1) access the effectiveness of the educational talk on nurses’ knowledge and (2) explore nurses’ awareness towards noise reduction for critically ill neonates in NICU.
Methodology :
A convenience sample consisted of forty-one nurses working in a Level III NICU located in the Kowloon East Cluster. All the participants took approximately 20 minutes to complete the validated questionnaire before (pre-test) and after (post-test) 15 minutes educational talk on a one-to-four basis. A quantitative and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data and all the data was analyzed by SCIPY.
Result & Outcome :
Hundred percent of participants completed the questionnaires in both pre and post educational talk. The mean score of post-test (9.88±1.33) was higher than the pretest (5±2.77) (P<0.001). Years of nursing experience in NICU had no association with the knowledge of noise reduction. Based on the finding, the educational talk improved the knowledge of noise reduction in NICU among the participants (33% to 54% advancement of the score). Moreover, the responses of the participants were identified: increasing nurses’ awareness of their behaviour on noise reduction, trying to adopt noise-reducing interventions in daily practice, and recognizing their role to reduce environmental stimuli for the patients in NICU. Findings in this project revealed that the educational talk led to a significant increase in participants’ knowledge and awareness of the importance of noise reduction in the NICU. In addition, this project acts as a precursor for an evidence-based nursing protocol to have a “quieter” NICU environment for vulnerable patients in the way forward.
