ArticleAnnals of work exposures and health2026
Workflow-dependent noise peaks and exposure assessment in operating rooms: implications for occupational risk.
Article in Annals of work exposures and health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOperating room noise is a recognized occupational exposure with potential implications for worker health and performance. Most workplace noise risk assessments rely on time-averaged levels, which may obscure short-duration, high-intensity exposure peaks occurring during specific workflow phases. Task-aligned exposure characterization may therefore provide additional value for occupational risk assessment.
methodsA field measurement study was conducted in 26 operating rooms under routine clinical conditions. A total of 611 real-time sound level measurements were obtained across 13 predefined surgical workflow stages using a calibrated sound level meter. Stage-specific noise levels were recorded to characterize exposure variability and peak events. Surgical nurses completed the Perceived Stress Scale and the Attention Control Scale immediately before and after procedures. Descriptive statistics, paired comparisons, and correlation analyses were performed.
resultsThe mean noise level across workflow stages was 66.57 dB, while short-term peak levels reached up to 87 dB. Peak exposures clustered in workflow stages involving equipment movement and patient transfer. Noise variability differed substantially between workflow stages. No statistically significant pre- to post-procedure differences were observed in perceived stress or attention control scores. Associations between stage-averaged noise levels and psychological measures were weak and not statistically significant.
conclusionReliance on average noise levels alone may underestimate task-dependent peak exposures in operating rooms. Workflow-aligned measurement approaches improve exposure characterization and may strengthen occupational noise risk assessment. Integrating stage-specific monitoring into routine workplace exposure evaluation may support more precise hazard identification and targeted risk control strategies for operating room personnel.
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.