Prescribing healthy hospital soundscapes

In The Effects of Noise on Man, Karl Kryter emphasized that human reaction to sound is quantitatively related to the physical nature of sounds. He specified five unwanted characteristics of sound: “(a) the masking of unwanted sounds, particularly speech, (b) auditory fatigue and damage to hearing, (c) excessive loudness, (d) some general quality of bothersomeness or noisiness, and (e) startle.” Hospital soundscapes have been shown to demonstrate all five characteristics in one fashion or another. Some unwanted effects of sound have also been shown, such as fragmented sleep and recuperation, cardiovascular response, pain and intensive care delirium—however, few studies have been able to causally link sounds to patient outcomes and few examine detailed characteristics other than loudness. This paper will summarize what we know about noise in hospitals and the health effects on occupants, including highlights from the Healthcare Acoustics Research Team (HART) body of research. Results will be used to identify important areas for future research.