• Omer Taskin, Nezihat Rana Disel, and Mustafa Yilmaz.
• Emergency Service, Yuregir State Hospital, Adana, Turkey. Electronic address: omertaskinmd@gmail.com.
• Am J Emerg Med. 2024 Feb 1; 76: 879287-92.

ObjectiveThis study aims to assess effects of noise on physicians' stress levels and attention capacities within an emergency department.MethodsIn this prospective cross-sectional study, 15 physicians from a state hospital emergency department with 300,000 annual visits provided demographics, work factors, and physiologic data. Attention was evaluated through smartphone-based Stroop tests, while noise and heart rates were monitored via smartwatches.ResultsMedian physician age was 26, with 16 months' emergency department experience. Average sound intensity was 68.80 dB. Despite noise, physicians in green/yellow areas showed increased Stroop scores (p = 0.002). Heart rate responses correlated with noise changes. End-of-shift surveys highlighted physicians' adaptability and resilience to high noise levels.ConclusionNoisy emergency departments pose health risks to physicians, but noise-related stress did not significantly affect attention, beneficial for patient care.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

13 keywords...

hide…