By Laura Ritthamel, Healthcare Account Manager
Noise is a natural biproduct of hospitals, and healthcare facilities as a whole.
Employees are constantly on the move, and families and patients are arriving and departing at all hours.
Staff pages ring out over intercoms while doctors meet with families to discuss care plans.
In long term care facilities residents have difficulties sleeping as overnight staff communicate.
Patients wonder if their conversation with a doctor can be heard outside of their room, creating privacy concerns and inhibiting care.
The ambient noise inherent to healthcare facilities can create an environment where actual rest feels impossible, slowing recovery and increasing the chances for dangerous mistakes.
Ambient Noise and Sleep
Tech Electronics partner manufacturer Biamp Cambridge says their sound masking technology has been shown to have a measurable impact on HCAHPS survey responses and studies show that patients in rooms with sound masking find that it helps to shorten the time it takes to fall asleep.
Sound masking solutions use ambient sound waves to obscure noise like conversations. Speakers are strategically placed to isolate an acoustic environment from others, providing privacy and peace of mind to its occupants.
The sound waves, which usually mimic airflow, reduce the intelligibility of speech. When used in a healthcare setting it can make it harder to hear outside noises or keep voices contained within an examination room.
Biamp Cambridge can provide these systems in a cost-effective manner that can increase HCAHPS scores and keep facilities in compliance with HIPAA.
Sound masking can have a measurable impact, not just on patient satisfaction, but on patient care as well.
Clinical Impact
In both acute and long-term care facilities, sleep disruptions have negative impacts on patient outcomes and isolating patients from the constant noise of a healthcare facility can help improve those outcomes.
According to the National Institute of Health, up to 70% of senior living residents struggle with chronic sleep issues. A lack of sleep can contribute to increased fall rates, one of the largest costs to healthcare legal departments and one of the largest dangers to elderly residents.
When patients and residents get better sleep, they are more alert, have improved cognition, and most importantly, they fall less.
Sound masking solutions can provide a non-pharmacological solution to sleep issues.
Sound Masking
With a comprehensive sound masking solution, schedules can be programmed across a network of speakers to improve sleep during evening hours and dampen distracting noise for patients and healthcare professionals alike.
Even in smaller clinics and practices, the technology can be implemented in waiting rooms to ensure they are isolated from examination rooms and offices. The separation of these acoustic environments contributes to more effective communication and increased privacy.
With sound masking the competing noises interrupting care can be mitigated, allowing families and doctors to focus on what matters most, and ensuring that patients feel seen and heard.
For more information about how sound masking technology can improve patient satisfaction and health outcomes at your facility, schedule a consultation.
