Yacker Tracker in the NICU ???

I'm okay with these. They way I've seen them used is to create an awareness of the noise level, not to be punitive. The amount of noise in a hospital contributes to the difficulty patients have in getting any rest, and we know that rest is important to healing - research shows that. I'd venture to say that being aware of noise levels in a NICU is even more important - premature babies are incredibly sensitive to over-stimulation, and noise is a part of that. We could all probably stand to be a little more aware of the volume level in patient care areas - and I dont just mean nurses, I mean everybody.

So did they account for alarms, crying families, or crying babies? NICU's tend to be quiet on the staff front. It's thing out of your control that makes them "noisy". Hopefully this passes soon.

There is no limit to the stupid stuff that people will come up with.

You have it just slightly wrong: There is no limit to the stupid stuff management will come up with.

We had one very briefly. It was the dumbest thing. We discovered it wasn't nurses talking setting it off like they'd like to think. It was the pneumatic tube system. Or call lights. Or IV/cardiac/pulse ox/bipap alarms. Or the phone ringing. You know- unavoidable noise. We did get a quieter pencil sharpener As a result.

It was so much fun trying to set it off with normal conversation or seeing who's foot steps could set it off with loud walking first. Not the intended effect.

Had one on a med-surg unit. Because of the design of the unit, it only registered the person at one nurses' station, as well as the noise of visitors arriving.

Visitors, of course, ignored it, and people started to hate that work station.

It was eventually gotten rid of.

I can think of so many sources of ambient noise that could be addressed before worrying about staff voices (which are, in my experience, rarely as loud as equipment or visitors).

It was so much fun trying to set it off with normal conversation or seeing who's foot steps could set it off with loud walking first. Not the intended effect.

That's what happened on our unit. We would sing and yell and TRY to make the light change colors for fun.

This would never work on my floor. I'm in psych. When it is silent we wonder what's wrong!

We had one too (actually 3...big unit). They lasted a month. They went off more from footsteps and rolling vitals machines/stretchers than from loud talking. They disappeared so management needed to come up with something else to wag their fingers at us for.

Big brother is always watching!

would never fly here...too much beeping and dinging from monitors, pumps, vents etc. Also the screaming detoxers don't help to keep a quiet soothing environment

I would hope that somebody is paying attention to what sets it off and is making steps to fix THOSE noises. The light does no good if its just ignored. But if alarms and call bells are setting it off....then maybe somebody needs to be looking at a way to lower those ambient noises. (Which, again, research shows are a problem not only because of too much noise but also alarm fatigue.)