Acoustic guide for clinical areas

Create calm acoustics for rest, sleep and privacy

Rest and sleep are important parts of our health and everyday life, but never more important than when we are ill, undergoing medical treatment and need supportive conditions to heal.

The design of treatment and patient rooms should therefore ensure good-quality sleep, comfort, and privacy. Patients should not be exposed to sound and noise that can cause negative feelings, such as anxiety and stress, and interrupt their natural sleep.

Open-plan nurse stations provide a dedicated workspace for staff when they are not with patients. Often, the first point of call for visitors and the place where staff assemble for meetings and handovers. In drug preparation spaces, it is vital that staff can concentrate without interruption.

Waiting areas are often located in corridors or open spaces inside the ward. Many waiting rooms have a counter where people can speak to a nurse or an administrative staff member. Patients and staff should be able to have private conversations without the risk of being overheard.

Acoustic challenges

• Improving speech clarity to aid clear communication between patients and staff
• Supporting privacy by reducing sound propagation from areas where patient information is discussed
• Reducing high sound levels and long reverberations
• Shortening sound propagation in the corridors

Hygiene challenges

• Type of stain: Dust, stains and microbial contamination
• Cleaning frequency: Frequent
• Type of cleaning: Dry cleaning, wet wiping, disinfection and steaming

Solutions

• Use a sound-absorbing ceiling
• Use wall absorbers on two non-adjacent walls
• Apply good sound insulation between rooms
• Use a sound-absorbing ceiling and wall absorbers in the corridor outside the room

Product recommendations

• Ecophon Hygiene™
• Ecophon Lighting™
• Ecophon Focus™ A, Ds, E