The Effect of Noise Control Training Given to Newborn Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Workers and Parents

Objectives: This study used a pretest-posttest and quasi-experimental design and was carried out to determine the noise level in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Pamukkale University Hospitals and to assess the effectiveness of the noise control training given to parents and healthcare workers. Method: The sample of the study consisted of healthcare staff working in Pamukkale University Hospitals and parents (totally 55 employees and 8 parents). The study data were collected between 15 March - 15 December 2017 using healthcare worker, parent, and noise questionnaire form. The noise level was measured with a sound level meter. The healthcare workers and parents were trained using interactive training techniques. At the end of the training session, the noise-related questions were asked to the healthcare workers and the parents again and the unit noise level was measured. Results: As a result of the study, the majority of the participants were found to have not received noise training before, not known anything about this issue, and not paid attention to it. After the training, the knowledge level of the participants was determined to increase. Also, there was a decrease in the unit and incubator measurements (p 0.01). The noise control training was determined to be an effective method. Conclusion: The level of noise can be reduced by the continuous and regular repetition of noise measurements through the training given to healthcare workers and parents.