Rapid assessment was used to evaluate a noise problem on a busy, high-traffic, high-acuity medical/surgical telemetry unit over a 4-week period. Six sources of environmental noise were identified including conversational noise, noise from doors, noise from housekeeping activities, noise from the pneumatic message tube station, hallway noise, and miscellaneous noise. Our study also demonstrates the value of rapid-assessment methodology for the evaluation of clinical problems such as noise.