Mercy tracks Yackers to ensure patients heal more quickly.

Oklahoma City -- It's not only one of the biggest complaints worldwide when it comes to hospitals, but noise--a common culprit--slows the healing process for hospital patients. And because noise increases stress and anxiety, Mercy Health Center in Oklahoma City has found creative ways to reduce noise and increase "noise awareness" in hospital hallways and waiting rooms.

Mercy and other hospitals such as M.D. Anderson are using a tool often used in school classrooms. The Yacker Tracker, a sound meter, looks just like a traffic light and serves as a visual reminder when noise levels get too high.

"It's a portable, computerized traffic light that signals, either flashing yellow or red, when there's too much noise," said Chris Weigel, RN, BSN, MBA, Mercy's chief nursing officer. "It's very common for hallways and waiting rooms to get really loud and just a few feet away patients are trying to sleep. Sometimes it's nurses discussing something that needs to be done and sometimes it's family members outside the door trying to make critical decisions. It's very easy for people not to realize how loud they may be. What we are doing with the Yacker Tracker is making people aware and it's working. Friends and family members of patients and co-workers are getting the signal."

Mandy Green, 26, who was recently visiting her sister at Mercy BirthPlace with her five children, ages 1 to 6, said, "I always get nervous when I bring all five of my kids to the hospital at one time because they can get loud very quickly. This stoplight device kept their attention and reminded them to be quiet at the same time."

Smaller people had similar ideas about the Yacker Trackers positioned at various places throughout Mercy. "It made people be quiet so we could hear the angels sing once April (his aunt) had her baby," said 6-year-old Warrick Green, referring to a chime Mercy plays throughout the hospital whenever a baby is born.

Numerous studies have shown that noise levels in hospitals commonly reach 113 decibels--the same level as a buzzing chainsaw. According to a study with Johns Hopkins University acoustical engineers, since 1960 daytime hospital sound levels around the world have increased from 57 to 72 decibels and night noise levels have risen from 42 to 60. The World Health Organization's 1995 hospital noise guidelines suggest that sounds levels in patient rooms shouldn't exceed 35 decibels.

"I've been a nurse for almost 30 years and one of the biggest complaints from patients is that they can't sleep because it's too noisy," said Weigel. "Studies show that a quiet environment promotes healing. And while noise is an issue that has long been ignored by hospitals worldwide, Mercy has made it one of our priorities. The patient is why we follow the cross to work every day, so why wouldn't we try to make our facility quieter if studies have proven that it's the best thing for the patient."

Mercy Health Center, the only Magnet hospital in Oklahoma and among only 3 percent of hospitals in the nation to be awarded Magnet status, is a member of Mercy Health System of Oklahoma and the Sisters of Mercy Health System. Magnet-designated facilities: report higher patient satisfaction rates, deliver better patient outcomes, provide more nursing care at the bedside of patients and consistently outperform non-magnet organizations.