Roger Ulrich, an authority in healthcare design, was recently interviewed on the issue of hospital noise by the news agency AP. Ulrich is a professor of architecture at Texas A&M; University and visiting professor at University College in London. In that interview, he highlights the seriousness of this question by referring to a major study on the topics previously addressed here.
“Hospital noise levels are far too high internationally and this has been known for decades”
Ulrich points out the effects of hospital noise as lost sleep, higher blood pressure, and lower overall patient satisfaction.
The study referred to addresses the situation of cardiac patients at a Swedish hospital and found that patients in rooms with sound-absorbing ceiling tiles were less likely to be readmitted within 30 to 60 days than those in rooms with the typical hard, sound-reflecting tiles.
This was the subject of a publication in the International Journal of Cardiology.
The study was partially funded by Ecophon
