Acoustic assessment of speech privacy curtains in two nursing units

Abstract

Hospitals have complex soundscapes that create challenges to patient care. Extraneous noise and high reverberation rates impair speech intelligibility, which leads to raised voices. In an unintended spiral, the increasing noise may result in diminished speech privacy, as people speak loudly to be heard over the din. The products available to improve hospital soundscapes include construction materials that absorb sound (acoustic ceiling tiles, carpet, wall insulation) and reduce reverberation rates. Enhanced privacy curtains are now available and offer potential for a relatively simple way to improve speech privacy and speech intelligibility by absorbing sound at the hospital patient's bedside. Acoustic assessments were performed over 2 days on two nursing units with a similar design in the same hospital. One unit was built with the 1970s’ standard hospital construction and the other was newly refurbished (2013) with sound-absorbing features. In addition, we determined the effect of an enhanced privacy curtain versus standard privacy curtains using acoustic measures of speech privacy and speech intelligibility indexes. Privacy curtains provided auditory protection for the patients. In general, that protection was increased by the use of enhanced privacy curtains. On an average, the enhanced curtain improved sound absorption from 20% to 30%; however, there was considerable variability, depending on the configuration of the rooms tested. Enhanced privacy curtains provide measureable improvement to the acoustics of patient rooms but cannot overcome larger acoustic design issues. To shorten reverberation time, additional absorption, and compact and more fragmented nursing unit floor plate shapes should be considered.

Perceptions and Experiences of Privacy Among Persons With an Ostomy Receiving Treatment and Care

“…We concur with the opinions expressed by our participants that single occupancy patient rooms are important for ostomy care, and that these rooms should have good ventilation and air movement facilitating rapid dispersal of odors related to changing or emptying an ostomy pouch. Our findings are broadly consistent with Pope and Miller-Klein, 31 who used acoustic sound-absorbing privacy curtains instead of standard privacy curtains to improve informational privacy in the inpatient care unit.…”

“…Nurses should be aware of patient's personal space and allow them to maintain control over it to the maximal extent possible while preserving the patient's safety. Confidentiality of all personal information is also a core dimension of privacy 5,6,31. Ostomy patients may choose to conceal their stoma to some while revealing its existence to others, and nurses should facilitate the patient's right to make this decision.…”

“…Confidentiality of all personal information is also a core dimension of privacy. 5,6,31 Ostomy patients may choose to conceal their stoma to some while revealing its existence to others, and nurses should facilitate the patient's right to make this decision. Questions about who to tell and who not to tell about their ostomy, along tension due to the conflict between appearing normal or ill, may create low self-esteem and distress, particularly in the patient learning to live with anew ostomy.…”

Could Spatial Awareness Affect Situation Awareness: A Conceptual Examination

“…In the domain of the auditory environment, numerous issues have been discussed in literature, including speech privacy, speech clarity, noise, and sound transmission, among others (Pope & Miller-Klein, 2016). From a SA perspective, two issues warrant particular attention.…”

Patients' Experiences and Opinions on the Protection of Physical and Informational Privacy in Treatment and Care Process

“…10 Pope ve Miller-Klein tarafından yapılan çalışmada oda ve kat düzeninde bilgi mahremiyetini korumaya yönelik yapılan düzenlemelerin hasta odalarının akustiğinde büyük bir rol oynadığını ve mahremiyet perdesinde yapılan değişikliklerle bilgi mahremiyetinin korunmasında ölçülebilir gelişme sağlandığını bildirmişlerdir. 30 Çalışmamızda, hastaların tedavi ve bakım süreçlerinde fiziksel ve bilgi mahremiyetinin korunmasına dikkat ve özen gösterildiği ve gösterilen dikkat ve özenin hastaların yarıya yakınının "çok iyi" olarak değerlendirdiği ve çalışma bulgularının literatürle uyumlu olduğu görülmüştür. 1,9 SONUÇ Hastaların, tedavi ve bakım süreçlerinde fiziksel ve bilgi mahremiyetin korunmasına yönelik deneyim ve görüşlerinin belirlenmesi amacıyla yapılan bu çalışmada hastaların çoğunluğu tedavi ve bakım süreçlerinde fiziksel mahremiyet ile ilgili sorun yaşamadıkları, sorun yaşayan hastaların yarıya yakınının fiziksel muayene ve bakımlar sırasında vücudunun başkalarının görebilecek şekilde uygulama yapılması ile ilgili sorun yaşadıkları, bu sorunu en çok hemşirelerle yaşadıkları belirlenmiştir.…”