Noise as a risk factor in the delivery room: A clinical study

IntroductionWe aimed to investigate whether noise in delivery rooms is associated with impaired performance of obstetric teams managing major (≥1000 mL) postpartum hemorrhage.Material and methodsWe included video recordings of 96 obstetric teams managing real-life major postpartum hemorrhage. Exposure was noise defined as the occurrence of sound level pressures (SPL) above 90 dB. The outcome was high clinical performance assessed through expert ratings using the TeamOBS-PPH tool.ResultsThe 23 teams unexposed to noise had a significantly higher chance of high clinical performance than the 73 teams exposed to noise: 91.3% (95% CI; 72.0–98.9) versus 58.9% (95% CI; 46.8–70.3) (p ConclusionNoise in delivery rooms may be an independent source of impaired clinical performance.