auditory environments in level ii versus level iii neonatal intensive care units

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AUDITORY ENVIRONMENTS IN LEVEL II VERSUS LEVEL III NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNITS

Dixie J. Davidson, Gary D. Levy, & Joy V. Browne

Psychology Department University of Wyoming

rm. 135 Biological Science Bldg. Laramie, WY 820713415

Auditory environments of five Level II and seven Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) in Colorado were investigated. Decibel levels were recorded for one day at 11:00 am and 4:00 pm in each of 12 NICUs using a Type II sound meter. Results of a 2 (level of NICU) ANCOVA, with number of babies in the NICU as a covariate, indicated Level III NICUs were significantly noisier than Level II NICUs. Results suggest Level III infants suffer more from potential health hazards related to noise (e.g. increased pain perception, sleep deprivation, hearing damage, and de- velopmental disabilities). There is an urgent need to establish specific sound/noise criteria for the environment of NICUs. Auditory environments of NICUs need to become more developmentally friendly places for preterm infants.