Noise pollution in the hospital environment of a developing country: A case study of Lahore (Pakistan)

Abstract

The present study investigates the noise pollution levels in public- and private-sector hospitals of Lahore. The noise pollution parameters were investigated from 20 public and 10 private hospitals. We observed that the equivalent continuous sound level (Leq) values varied significantly in different departments of the hospitals as well as at different times of the day. The public-sector hospitals had significantly higher noise pollution compared to the private-sector hospitals. The Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney two-sample rank-sum test revealed significant difference between noise levels in intensive care unit (ICU) during morning and in emergency, waiting area, intensive care unit (ICU), and reception during daytimes. However, no significant differences were found for any department during the evening. The Leq values were found to be higher than the international norms (WHO standards) for all hospitals, higher than USEPA for 29 hospitals and higher than local standards for 27 hospitals. Overall, significantly lower sound levels were always observed in private hospitals.

Knowledge and safety practices on occupational hazards among operating room staff in Mardan Medical Complex, Mardan, Pakistan

“…A study done previously showed agreement with our findings regarding increased frequency of participants who were aware about noise as an occupational hazard. 5,12 Noise, needle stick injuries and body contamination with patient fluids are widely known an the occupational hazards. Our findings reveal awareness of these three as occupational hazards was more prevalent among some study groups.…”

“…According to a study conducted in Lahore, Pakistan, all hospitals (private and public) exceed the WHO recommended ratio of 50 dBA at day time, which could cause detrimental effect on human health. 5,6 Chemical risks include exposure to various anesthetic gases, fumes and vapors that lead to poor health status of the OR staff. Waste anesthetic gases and halogenated anesthetic agents are contributive factors in polluting the environment.…”

Adopting green and sustainable practices in the hotel industry operations- an analysis of critical performance indicators for improved environmental quality

“…The study evaluates the level of discomforts due to the noise pollution to the patients in the hospital and the side effects to the health of the patients. It was observed that all the multi-specialty hospitals surpassing the international noise standards Fuentes- (Baqar et al, 2018). Sajjad et al (2018) presented the study of sustainability in Pakistan hotel industry.…”

“…The appropriate location and the noise levels at the hotel also have equal importance in attracting customers and visitors. So, there should be also consideration given to noise level reduction in the periphery of the hotel sector to provide the customer with a satisfactory residence experience (Baqar et al. , 2018).…”

Measurement of noise levels: an observational study in engineering laboratories

“…It can bring about nuisance, (dB), which are a logarithmic unit of the ratio of the sleep disturbance, heart diseases and cognitive calculated sound pressure to a reference sound problems that are determined by noise exposure 2 pressure of 0.0002 dynes/cm or microbars. Overall and degree of habituation [2].…”