The effectiveness of acoustic treatments in general hospital wards in China

Abstract

The aim of this study was to quantitatively determine the effect of various acoustic treatments in hospital wards on reverberation time, noise levels and users' subjective evaluation during normal operations by installing a sound absorptive ceiling and soundproof door and windows. Patient rooms, corridors and nurse stations in two general wards in a Chinese hospital were chosen as the study sites. The quantitative measurements showed that the reverberation time of 500 Hz–1 kHz decreased by 13∼53% to approximately 0.3 s in the patient rooms, corridors and nurse stations after the acoustic treatment. Noise levels in the corridors and nurse stations decreased significantly by 5∼11 dB(A) (p < 0.01). Smaller differences were found in the patient rooms with noise levels decreasing after application of the acoustic treatment by 2∼4 dB(A) (p < 0.01) during the daytime and 5–6 dB(A) (p < 0.01) during the nighttime. Questionnaires indicated that acoustic treatment could significantly decrease the negative impacts of noise on patients’ conversations (p < 0.01) and emotional state (p < 0.01) and extend the quiet period during the night-time for sleep. Meanwhile, staff members reported that they could take advantage of speaking with a lower voice and having a higher working efficiency at the nurse station after changing the ceiling material to an absorptive one.