The recommended noise limit in and around hospital wards by WHO is 30 dB with a maximum limit of 40 dB (Berglund, Lindvall and Schwela, 2007). However, studies have shown that many hospitals significantly exceed this limit for extended periods of time (Haskins and Soldan, 2010). This leads to patients’ comfort and quality of sleep and rest being significantly affected thus affecting their health and general well-being.
Other effects of noise on patients are (Berglund, Lindvall and Schwela, 2007):
·        Cardiovascular and physiological interference
·        Mental health degradation
·        Negative effects on their performance of regular tasks
·        Annoyance
It is therefore imperative that excess noise is curbed in hospital wards.

References
Berglund, B., Lindvall, T. and Schwela, D. (2007) ‘No Title’, Guidelines for Community Noise.
Haskins, N., Soldan, J. Noise in the critical care environment. Crit Care 14, P450 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1186/cc8682