This article presents the results of a noise survey at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Results include equivalent sound pressure levels as a function of location, frequency, and time of day. At all locations and all times of day, the indicate that a serious problem exists. No location is in compliance with current World Health Organization Guidelines, and a review of objective data indicates that this is true of hospitals throughout the world. Average equivalent sound levels are in the range for , , and averaging time periods. The spectra are generally flat over the octave bands, with higher sound levels at lower frequencies, and a gradual roll off above . Many units exhibit little if any reduction of sound levels in the nighttime. Data gathered at various hospitals over the last indicate a trend of increasing noise levels during daytime and nighttime hours. The implications of these results are significant for patients, visitors, and hospital staff.
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