Psychological Effects of Noise Exposure on Personnel in Central Sterile Supply Department in China.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate whether noise exposure in hospital sterile supply centers exacerbated the psychological burden on staff, potentially mediated by concerns about physiological health.

METHODS

Between July 5 and August 4, 2023, 308 staffs from central sterile supply departments in 30 hospitals in Hainan were chosen by convenient sampling method. They completed self-administered questionnaires to assess noise exposure status and used the Self-Reporting Inventory-90 to quantify the psychological state of staff across three dimensions: somatization, anxiety, and sleep and diet. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to assess the influencing factors of their psychological symptoms, while a mediation model was used to analyze the pathway of noise affecting psychology.

RESULTS

(1) Predominantly, respondents reported air gun sounds (76.3%) and pressure steam sterilizer noises (78.2%) within central sterile supply departments to be the most troublesome. (2) Approximately 25.33% of participants expressed that their sleep was significantly impacted by noise, while 32.14% expressed concerns about the potential serious effects on their health. (3) Logistic regression analysis revealed that age (OR,1.06, 95% CI, [1.01, 1.11]), educational background (OR, 0.65, 95% CI, [0.49, 0.85]), perceived noise exposure (OR,1.57, 95% CI, [1.04, 2.48]), health concerns (OR, 1.91, 95% CI, [1.06, 3.52]), and hearing loss (OR, 1.46,95% CI [1.02, 2.10]) emerged as significant influencing factors of psychological symptoms. (4) Mediation effect model analysis demonstrated that health concerns (mediation effect value=0.11, 95% CI [0.08, 0.16], Effect ratio=53.83%) mediated the impact of noise affecting psychological state.

CONCLUSION

Noise exposure represents a concealed risk factor for service quality within hospital central sterile supply departments, with health concerns serving as a mediating factor in the relationship between noise exposure and psychological well-being.