The study will hypothesize that: a) greater sensitivity to noise in the person will be associated with greater stress due to hospital noise, b) control over hospital noise will be associated with less stress, c) greater stress due to hospital noise will be associated with less sleep, and d) control over hospital noise will be associated with more sleep. The study will be carried out in a sleep laboratory where 105 normal female volunteers will hear an audiotaped recording of intensive care unit noise during regular hours of sleep. The subjects will be randomly assigned to an experimental group (control over noise condition where a sound soother conditioner to block out noise will be available) or two control groups. Sensitivity to noise in the person will be measured with Weinstein's Sensitivity to Noise Scale, stress due to hospital noise with Topf's Disturbance Due to Hospital Noise Scale and by epinephrine levels in urine, and sleep by EEG, EMG, EOG recordings and self-report. Data will be analyzed with Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficients and hierarchical multiple regressions. The results of the study should contribute to stress and nursing practice theories concerned with the impact of environmental pollution on health. If stress due to hospital noise and disrupted sleep are documented, then this information can be used as evidence for the development of nursing interventions that alter the hospital environment or facilitate patient coping with noise. The study may identify one intervention (sound soother conditioner) that can be made available for patient rest and sleep.
| Topf, M (1992) Stress effects of personal control over hospital noise. Behav Med 18:84-94 |
| Topf, M (1990) Increasing the validity of research results with a blend of laboratory and clinical strategies. Image J Nurs Sch 22:121-3 |
