Page 21 - Delaware Medical Journal - March 2018
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SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE
cover — can be used to decrease noise. Absorbing sound is
Blocking sound is achieved by having single patient rooms instead of rooms separated by curtains. Covering sound is achieved by using sound masking machines to create an ambient sound over the noise. These three methods are reported to decrease or eliminate unwanted noise in health care settings.5
Absorptive ceiling tiles, acoustic room shape, equipment selection with focus on sounds are shown to positively impact patients.
Sound absorption has improved sleep and reduced hospitalizations. In addition to changing current alarm settings and implementing quiet zones, health care administrators may also use the current available literature and collaborate with an acoustical consultant that understands hospital design and noises from air-conditioning and the noisy environments in acute and long-term care settings.6
Changes to building materials and alarm technology may be slow
making small, impactful adjustments to decrease noise levels. Methods of communication between staff through earphone pieces or alarm technology that sends messages to nurses
REFERENCES
instead of sounding shrill alarms have been developed. Smaller changes noted to make a difference are switching to soft-soled shoes for staff, encouraging patients to use headphones when watching television, providing noise-cancelling headphones, and encouraging staff to answer alarms quickly.5,10
Limitations to the current literature include small study populations, various acoustic measurements, and few large studies that measure the difference in patient outcomes after noise reduction implementation. Therefore, with the established knowledge that noise in health care settings negatively impacts patients, more research needs to be conducted using acoustics to measure the difference in noise levels before and after sound-reducing methods are implemented to assess patient outcomes and patient, family, and staff satisfactory levels.
CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS
■ JAVED M. GILANI, MD, FACP, FRCP, FRCP [E], DTM & H (Liv) is an Internist in Wilmington and Newark, Delaware and a Clinical Professor at Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions.
■ RIDDHI N. PATEL, PA-C is a recent graduate of Drexel University and is currently at Columbus Arthritis Center in Columbus, Ohio.
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11. Kardous CA, Celestina M. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention New NIOSH Sound Level Meter App: 2017. https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-
blog/2017/01/17/slm-app. Accessed October 14, 2017
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14. Ryherd E, Zimring C. Too noisy to heal: Using advances in hospital acoustics to bridge the gap between architecture, engineering, and medicine. Healthcare Design. Nov 2010;10(11): 80-86
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