Good acoustics reduce stress in operating rooms
This case study is done in Denmark and investigates staff performance under different acoustic conditions.
Hvidovre study - Good acoustics reduce mistakes in operating rooms
In operating rooms, communication and concentration are vitally important. In a study done at Hvidovre Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, two operating rooms were given different acoustic treatments.
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How is this possible?
In operating rooms, communication is often made more difficult by sounds from technical equipment, activities and speech that bounce back and forth between all the hard surfaces in the room. This was the environment in the original operating room.
Introducing a sound-absorbing ceiling reduced the overall sound level and hindered the sound from spreading. This was further enhanced with wall absorbers. They reduced the noise and thus improved speech clarity even more. With each improvement, the measured acoustic results in the rooms improved. Staff clearly experienced the difference and stated that the most improved room was the place where they were most relaxed and could communicate without effort.
Ecophon solution
In healthcare facilities it is important that acoustic solutions also meet the strictest hygiene demands in regards to cleaning and disinfection. In this study Ecophon therefore provided the operation rooms with an Ecophon Hygiene™ ceiling and an Ecophon Hygiene™ wall absorber.
The study
The study was done at Hvidovre Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark. Three operating rooms (OR) were involved in the project. The first room was treated with an acoustic ceiling and the second one with both acoustic ceiling and wall absorbers. The participating staff worked in all three operating rooms.
Want to know more?
Download the complete research study, "Good acoustics reduce stress in operating rooms" by Mai-Britt Beldam, that gives you more in-depth information.