Effect of Inpatient Noise Reduction Strategy on the Postoperative Recovery of Older Patients Undergoing Gastrointestinal Tumor Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the effect of a noise reduction strategy in inpatient wards on the postoperative recovery of elderly patients who underwent gastrointestinal tumor surgery. METHODS: The clinical data of 243 elderly patients with gastrointestinal tumors who underwent surgery in Ganzhou People's Hospital from March 2020 to March 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients admitted from March 2020 to September 2021 were categorized as the regular group (receiving conventional perioperative management), and those admitted from October 2021 to March 2023 were categorized as the noise reduction group (receiving conventional perioperative management in combination with the ward noise reduction strategy). Ward noise levels at different times were recorded. The Chinese version of Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire was used to evaluate patients' sleep status before and after sleep management. The numerical rating scale (NRS) was employed to evaluate pain severity at different times. The Chinese version of the M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI-C) was applied to evaluate patients' quality of life before and after treatment. RESULTS: The average daytime noise, nighttime noise, and 24-hour average noise levels over a 7-day period were significantly lower in the noise reduction group than in the regular group (P < 0.05). The noise reduction group also showed significantly lower NRS and MDASI-C scores (P < 0.05). By contrast, measures of sleep, such as perceived sleep depth, sleep latency, wake-up times, sleep efficiency, and sleep quality scores, were significantly higher in the noise reduction group than in the regular group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The ward noise reduction strategy improved sleep quality, pain relief, and quality of life in older patients who underwent gastrointestinal tumor surgery, showing its potential as a safe and reliable perioperative management scheme.