ICU Environmental Noise and Healthcare Workers (ICU-Noise)

April 16, 2026 updated by: Tunzala Yavuz, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital

Evaluation of the Effects of Intensive Care Unit Environmental Noise on Healthcare Workers

This prospective observational study aims to evaluate the effects of environmental noise in the intensive care unit on healthcare workers. Healthcare personnel working in intensive care units and hospital wards will be compared in terms of cochlear function, noise sensitivity, anxiety levels, perceived noise burden, and functional effects of noise exposure. The study seeks to determine whether long-term occupational exposure to intensive care unit noise is associated with measurable auditory and non-auditory effects in healthcare workers.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This prospective observational study is designed to evaluate the potential auditory and non-auditory effects of intensive care unit environmental noise on healthcare workers. The study is being conducted in a tertiary training and research hospital and includes volunteer healthcare personnel working in intensive care units and hospital wards. Participants are classified according to their work setting, and comparisons are performed between the intensive care unit group and the ward group.

The study focuses on occupational exposure to the intensive care environment and its possible association with cochlear function, perceived noise burden, noise sensitivity, anxiety levels, and functional effects related to workplace noise. Audiological assessment includes distortion product otoacoustic emission measurements, and questionnaire-based assessments are used to evaluate perceived noise-related burden and associated psychological and functional effects. The study aims to determine whether prolonged work in the intensive care environment is associated with measurable changes in hearing-related parameters and subjective outcomes when compared with work in hospital wards.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

102

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Izmir, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Izmir Tepecik Training and Research Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of volunteer healthcare personnel actively working in intensive care units and hospital wards at a tertiary training and research hospital.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Age ≥18 years, Actively working in the Anesthesiology and Reanimation ICU, or in a hospital ward, Voluntary participation in the study,

Exclusion Criteria:

Age <18 years, Pregnancy, Previously diagnosed hearing loss, History of head trauma, History of ear surgery

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
ICU group
Healthcare personnel actively working in intensive care units
Other: Intensive care unit environmental noise exposure
Occupational exposure to routine environmental noise in the intensive care unit setting during regular work activities.
Ward group
Healthcare personnel actively working in hospital wards

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cochlear Function Assessed by DPOAE
Time Frame: At baseline
Cochlear function will be evaluated using distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) amplitudes and signal-to-noise ratio values, and compared between healthcare workers in the ICU group and the ward group.
At baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Tepecik Training and Research Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

November 23, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 21, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

March 21, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

April 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 21, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 16, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • TepecikTRH
  • 2022/12-36 (Other Identifier: Tepecik Training and Research Hospital Ethics Committee Approval No: 2022/12-36, dated January 11, 2023)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared because this study was conducted at a single center and no formal data-sharing plan was established at the time of study initiation.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Noise Exposure

Clinical Trials on Intensive care unit environmental noise exposure

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Türkiye

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe