Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the impact of ward noise on psychological health and sleep quality in patients recovering from haemorrhagic stroke (HS) surgery. METHODS: A retrospective clinical study was conducted in 230 patients who underwent surgery for HS. Patients were assigned to groups on the basis of admission timing relative to ward renovation completion, with a buffer period of 1 month. The patients were sequentially enrolled into the following two groups: a regular ward group (n = 105) before noise reduction renovations and a noise-reduction group (n = 125) after renovations. Noise levels were measured in both ward environments. Psychological health was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Recovery outcomes were measured using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Data were collected on postoperative days 1 and 14. Statistical analyses were performed using independent t-tests for between-group comparisons, paired t-tests for within-group changes and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey's HSD post-hoc analysis for multi-period noise level comparisons (α = 0.05). RESULTS: On postoperative day 14, the noise-reduction group demonstrated lower total HADS scores (P < 0.001) and lower global PSQI scores (P < 0.001). The noise-reduction group had lower NIHSS scores and lower mRS scores on postoperative day 14 (P < 0.001). Hospital stay duration was shorter in the noise-reduction group, and patient satisfaction scores were significantly higher (both P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Noise reduction in hospital wards significantly improves psychological health, sleep quality and recovery outcomes in patients recovering from surgery after HS. These findings underscore the importance of optimising the hospital environment to support recovery.