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ABSTRACT INFORMATION
Title: 'Noise in the NICU: Optimizing the Acoustic Environment for Infants in the Special Care Nursery' Track: 5 - Medical Home Keyword(s): noise, NICU, measurement, monitor, SCN Learning Objectives: List recommended noise levels published by the Committee to Establish Recommended Standards for Newborn ICU Design. Identify barriers to maintaining a quiet environment within newborn intensive care units (NICUs). Discuss potential factors which may influence noise measurements within the newborn intensive care unit (NICU). Abstract: For decades, neonatologists, nurses, audiologists, parents, and others have expressed concern regarding noise levels in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Early research focused on the potentially harmful effects of incubator noise on hearing sensitivity. Other studies examined possible ill effects of excessive noise on growth and development. These concerns led the American Academy of Pediatrics to issue their recommended guidelines for NICU noise level limits (1997). More recently, investigators have examined not only the potentially harmful effects of noise, but also the implications of auditory deprivation; that is, the lack of exposure to sounds found within the prenatal environment. The purpose of this poster is to explore the acoustic environment of the NICU as it pertains to each of these issues and concerns. In addition, we offer guidance on measurement and monitoring of noise levels in the NICU and share the results of a pilot study conducted in a regional special care nursery. We conclude with recommendations for maintaining an appropriate acoustic environment requiring extended care in the NICU. Presentation: This presentation has not yet been uploaded or the speaker has opted not to make the presentation available online. Handouts: Handout is not Available
PRESENTER(S) / AUTHOR(S) INFORMATION
Christina Maria Jaunakais - POC,Primary Presenter,Author UNC-Chapel Hill      Credentials: B.A. Hearing and Speech Sciences      Other Affiliations: Au.D. Student, NC-LEND Trainee and MCH Fellow       Maria Jaunakais is pursuing her clinical doctorate in audiology at the University of North Carolina. Her interest in noise within the newborn ICU stems from her undergraduate work as a hearing screening technician in Maryland birthing hospitals.       ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - No relevant financial relationship exist. Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist. Shawn Van Steen - Author WakeMed Health & Hospitals      Credentials: MS, CCC-A       Coordinator of Newborn Hearing Screenings, WakeMed Health & Hospitals       ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - Nonfinancial - Nancy McKenna - Author UNC-Chapel Hill      Credentials: Au.D., Ph.D., CCC-A       Clinical Assistant Professor       ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - Nonfinancial - Jackson Roush - Author UNC-Chapel Hill      Credentials: Ph.D.       Jackson Roush, Ph.D., is Professor and Director of the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill. He is also Section Head for Audiology at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities where he serves as coordinator of the Hearing and Development Clinic. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Dr. Roush has been a pediatric audiologist for over 30 years. He has published and presented on a broad range of topics related to hearing loss in children, and has served on numerous EHDI-related working groups and task forces including the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing.       ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - No relevant financial relationship exist. Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.