Background

The noise levels in adult intensive care is a well-researched phenomenon which constantly exceeds international and national recommendations.In the pediatric intensive care, the caregivers of the children work in a high tech environment as they are surrounded by sound from several sources of various kinds.How they understand and acknowledges these sounds negative effect on the child’s well-being depend on their individual knowledge and awareness of how sound can affect children negatively. However, for a critically ill child who comes to the intensive care unit, this is in most cases a new experience which in itself means greater stress.Both the environment itself and the noise levels.

Objectives

This study intends to investigate the nurses' approach to three sources of sound that contribute to high noise levels;alarms, doors that open and conversation.The theoretical perspective in the study is based on studies on caring culture.

Methods

Non Participation semi-structured qualitative observations were conducted in a pediatric intensive care unit of one of Sweden's metropolitan regions in the winter of 2014-2015.

Conclusions/Results

The results show that high noise levels are an overlooked phenomenon in the pediatric intensive care environment as it has given way to other priorities in the nurse's work.It is also clear that this depends on the department's caring culture as it prioritizes other things which results in normalizing high levels of noise as a part of the pediatric intensive care environment.