Introduction: Noise exposure has been known to affect the health negatively. In hospitals, it affects the health care professionals as well as the patients. Knowledge about noise issue is limited among health care providers.
Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of nurses towards noise and determine the association between their KAP and certain socio demographic factors. Also, to determine noise sources as perceived by nurses.
Methods: Cross sectional study was used and a total of 180 nurses working in different departments at Palestine Medical Complex (PMC) were subjected to interviewing questionnaire.
Results: The findings showed that nurses' knowledge about noise was limited and poor with no statistical significance between gender, age, highest qualification obtained, total years of experience in the field and the knowledge level. Attitudes were relatively positive with a significant association between gender and attitudes level (p=0.013), also a significant relationship appeared between qualification and attitudes level (p=0.025). Nurses' practices towards noise were so poor and insufficient. Statistically significant differences were revealed between different age groups and practices level (p=0.006) and between qualification and practices level (p=0.021). The major noise sources were the quarrels between the health staff and patients' visitors/companions, renovation and construction work inside PMC, loud conversations, patients, medical equipment and shouting of the staff.
Conclusion: Poor knowledge, adequate attitude and poor practices were detected among the study subjects. Educational intervention for nurses and the whole health staff is essential to increase awareness and knowledge about noise issue and ways to reduce it.