ReviewCritical care research and practice2026
Noise in the Intensive Care Unit: A Narrative Review of Its Characteristics, Clinical Impact, and Reduction Strategies.
Review in Critical care research and practice, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Noise in the Intensive Care Unit: A Narrative Review of Its Characteristics, Clinical Impact, and Reduction Strategies.Critical care research and practice · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Aims: Noise in the intensive care unit (ICU) is an environmental stressor affecting both patients and healthcare professionals. This narrative review synthesizes evidence from over 2 decades of research regarding ICU noise levels, sources, acoustic characteristics, and clinical impact. Design: Narrative review. Data Sources: A literature search was conducted in PubMed for studies published between January 2000 and July 2025. Search terms included combinations of ICU, intensive care, noise, sound levels, alarm fatigue, acoustic environment, delirium, sleep disruption, burnout, and hospital design. Reference lists of relevant reviews and original studies were screened. Review Methods: Eligible publications included original research, simulation studies, systematic reviews, clinical guidelines, and qualitative reports focusing on adult ICUs. Only English-language studies were included. Data were narratively synthesized to describe noise levels, sources, impacts, and mitigation strategies. Results: Sound levels in most ICUs routinely exceed 55-60 dBA, with peak levels often surpassing 85-90 dBA-far above World Health Organization recommendations. Common noise sources include medical equipment alarms, staff activity, and environmental design features such as open layouts and reflective surfaces. Acoustic characteristics such as unpredictability and poor nighttime attenuation amplify stress. In patients, noise contributes to sleep fragmentation, circadian disruption, increased sedation needs, delirium, and adverse psychological outcomes. Among staff, excessive noise impairs communication, increases cognitive load, and contributes to fatigue and burnout. While various architectural, behavioral, and bundled interventions have shown promise, most demonstrate limited long-term effectiveness. Conclusion: Despite clear guidelines, ICU noise remains inadequately managed due to systemic barriers, including cultural norms, infrastructural constraints, and a lack of enforcement.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.