Operating-room noise was linked to staff and patient difficulties
Studies of operating-room staff and surgical patients generally linked noise with adverse outcomes. A low-level noise study reported favorable patient outcomes, and the review provided no pooled effect estimate.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review generally linked operating-room noise with poorer attention, anxiety and physical symptoms among staff, and adverse outcomes among patients. However, a study of low-level noise stimulation reported improvements in postoperative confusion and pain. The mixed study designs and outcomes mean this summary does not establish a single causal effect of noise.
The abstract provides no pooled effect sizes, exposure durations or specific comparison conditions. It also does not connect each reported outcome to its study design, limiting causal interpretation.
Staff outcomes covered several areas
The staff studies examined psychological outcomes such as attention and anxiety, alongside physical outcomes including fatigue and headaches. These different endpoints describe several possible effects rather than a single measure of staff performance or health.
Patient findings were not uniform
Patient studies reported outcomes including postoperative infections and anxiety. Another study found favorable results with low-level noise stimulation for delirium, meaning an acute confused state, and pain; the abstract does not explain why findings differed.
The original publication
Effects of Operating Room Noise on Patient Outcomes and Medical Staff: A Systematic Review.
Li X, Li J, Xu Z et al.
Noise Health · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40574295
- Record checked
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