Knowledge of nursing professionals on the handling of neonates and effects of noise in the neonatal ICU

Abstract Background and aims The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is an environment with continuous sound stimulation, which can harm the development of newborns (NB), for this reason it is important to maintain frequent monitoring of noise in this hospital environment, and nursing professionals are responsible for controlling environmental noise. The aim of this study is to evaluate nursing professionals' knowledge on noise in the NICU. Design and methods Data from this study were collected at Hospital Estadual Mário Covas, in Santo André, São Paulo, with the questionnaire being applied to 6 nurses and 33 nursing assistants from the NICU. The questionnaire contained the interviewee's identification (age group, education, length of time worked, experience in the NICU) and 25 knowledge questions. Results 95% of the professionals were able to answer what noise is; 92.5% attended lectures and/or educational programs on the subject, 65% were able to answer questions about possible harm to the NB; 85% understand that noise can hinder the development of the NB; 100% considered that noise affects breastfeeding. The average noise level detected in the morning was 84.5 dB. Conclusion length of time worked in the NICU directly reflects the level of knowledge of the professional on noise, however, there is still a lack of commitment to reduce local noise. Noises occur more in the morning, probably due to the number of procedures that are performed during that time and the greater movement of people.