Noise control care was associated with reduced anxiety and depression, improved sleep quality, and superior clinical outcomes in patients with ventilator-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction.
The noise control group experienced significantly lower environmental noise levels than the standard care group at both daytime and nighttime.
Both groups showed improved anxiety and depression scores by Day 7, but the noise control group demonstrated significantly greater reductions in HAMA and HAMD scores.
Sleep quality as measured by the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) was significantly higher in the noise control group across all five domains and total score.
The noise control group exhibited improved haemodynamic stability, with significantly reduced heart rate and blood pressure on Day 7.
The incidence of delirium was significantly lower in the noise control group compared to the standard care group.
The noise control group had a significantly shorter duration of mechanical ventilation and hospital length of stay.
This was a retrospective study of 147 patients with ventilator-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction (VIDD) grouped by admission period rather than randomization.
This research suggests that actively reducing noise levels in hospital wards can meaningfully benefit patients who are on mechanical ventilators and have developed a condition called ventilator-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction (VIDD), where the breathing muscle weakens due to prolonged ventilator use. The study compared 147 patients — some receiving standard care and others receiving additional noise reduction measures — and found that patients in quieter environments had less anxiety and depression, slept better, and had more stable heart rate and blood pressure after one week of care. Beyond psychological and sleep benefits, the noise reduction approach was also linked to better clinical outcomes. Patients in the noise control group were about 2.4 times less likely to develop delirium (a state of confusion common in ICU patients), spent less time on mechanical ventilation, and were discharged from the hospital sooner. These findings suggest that something as seemingly simple as managing the sound environment in a ward could have wide-ranging effects on both the mental and physical recovery of critically ill patients. It is important to note that this was a retrospective study where patients were grouped by the time period they were admitted rather than being randomly assigned to conditions, which means other factors that changed over those time periods could have influenced the results. Nevertheless, this research suggests that noise control interventions deserve attention as a low-cost, non-invasive component of care for patients requiring mechanical ventilation.
Qiu Z, Zhang W, Yan Z. (2026). Influence of Ward Noise on Emotional State and Sleep Quality in Patients with Ventilator-induced Diaphragmatic Dysfunction.. Noise & health. https://doi.org/10.4103/nah.nah_163_25