Acoustic control in certain places or organizations is necessary for the nature of their operation and confidentiality requirements. Law firms, banks, insurance companies, and other businesses need it most. But healthcare is another sector that depends on noise control technology even more. It impacts the facility’s speech privacy, caregivers, and patients positively. Credible studies show how noise adversely affects productivity, health, mood, and functioning. They also demonstrate that facility design plays a critical role in this. Think of a sound masking system, for instance. It can ensure speech privacy while promoting a calming environment that provides proficiency for staff and healing for patients.
Let’s figure out why sound masking should be integral to healthcare settings. A survey conducted on hospitals equipped with sound-masking technology revealed that nearly 56% of patients reported quietness in rooms at night, helping them sleep faster. The national average of such results is around 60%.
Speech privacy
For various reasons, sound masking systems for privacy are most sought-after in clinics and hospitals. Do you get the sound of the discussion between a doctor and his patient while you are in a waiting room? Or, you are in the examination room, and the sound from the next doctor’s room draws your attention. All these incidents make you uncomfortable because you suspect even others will be able to listen to your conversations. That’s where sound masking devices help. When installed in doctor’s offices, hospitals, and pharmacies in hallways, rooms, and admin stations, they make the voices dull, so you cannot understand them. Specific spots, such as care areas and waiting rooms, can benefit more if the staff at the neighboring stations has to attend several telephone calls or entertain visitors.
Because the US-based Health and Human Services Department mandates maintaining auditory privacy for the sake of patients, healthcare facilities can implement such systems hassle-free. Interestingly, these facilities also use other methods with sound masking to ensure better aural ambiance. These include using quiet equipment, noise-absorbing building materials in walls, ceilings, and flooring, and a layout with adequate partitions.
Health impact
Any healthcare facility suffers from different noises, regardless of the source, such as telephone, footfall, conversations, equipment, television, procedures, paging systems, carts, etc. All these can significantly increase anyone’s stress levels, whether staff, patients, or visitors. Studies also demonstrate noise can harm health, affecting blood pressure, high metabolic rate, sleep disturbance, and increased heart rate. The disruptive nature of the noise also affects moods, making people irritable, agitated, and anxious. Environmental stressors like this can cause higher sound sensitivity in patients, requiring them to seek sleep and pain medications. Hence, it becomes another reason to install sound masking systems that reduce the impact of the actual noise by controlling their sound waves for a better auditory experience.
Sleep
One of the most natural processes for healing is sleep. However, noisy environments prevent patients from taking rest. Surveys show that most patients typically complain about the noises in the hospitals that affect their sleep. They either struggle to sleep or get very fragile sleep. Patients often turn and toss in their beds and wake up because their heart rates also change due to the noise and consequent sleep disturbance. Everyone knows inadequate sleep can harm immunity, cell growth, and pain tolerance. All these ultimately prolong hospital stays. One of the surveys revealed that patients with a lack of sleep often suffer from ICU psychosis, a type of disorientation symptom. The senior group is more vulnerable to noise-induced sleeping discomforts.
You can remove or minimize all these bad patient experiences with sound masking that helps reduce noise through a distinct technology.
Productivity
Like patients, hospital staff also suffer from noise issues. However, it can affect them differently. They feel fatigued and distracted due to improper acoustic systems while they must perform optimally. Surveys have shown that noise control can be more efficient in increasing productivity levels than any other method. You can expect at least a 26% improvement. Another survey showed that nearly 70% of people performed better in a quieter environment. So, in healthcare locations, selecting the correct acoustic measures is crucial. These should check noise disturbance while keeping conversations private.
Error-free performance
Most medical errors can be attributable to environmental stressors, like noise, heat, lighting, and conversations. Due to this, the adult staff can face challenges with problem-solving and cognitive work. They exert more in a noisy setting to decrease the risk of errors in their daily tasks. After all, their mistakes can prove costly for patients. Hence, it’s urgent to eliminate or avoid such troubles. You can improve your healthcare facility’s noise control by installing sound masking systems at the right places. A suspended or open ceiling can be the right spot for the devices. For the open designs, you get attractive speakers. Choose something that matches your facility’s interiors without distracting anyone’s attention.
A few considerations
Any new or old facility can incorporate sound masking to resolve acoustic problems. The good thing is it doesn’t require heavy remodeling work. Choosing the right products can drastically reduce the cost of other noise control features. When you shop for this item, you must consider several factors, such as controls, size of the area where you will install this, volume efficiency, the masking ability of the sound generator, zoning work, timers, versatility, etc. It will be better if the sound-masking device allows easy expansion as your facility’s business grows.
During the designing process of acoustic environments, architects approach speech privacy and noise control problems in various ways by integrating materials that absorb, cover, and block sounds. One can use all three methods or one or two of them. Since most blocking and absorbing elements are expensive, a low-cost option like sound masking is more favorable. It can produce the perfect acoustic environment by minimizing noise distractions and bolstering speech privacy. Your patients may recover faster, allowing your hospital to make a name for itself. So, whether you own a hospital, clinic, pharmacy, or other healthcare facility, advanced technologies like sound masking can serve your needs well. Select the trusted brand for a good experience.
