Expanding the Use of Controlled Minimum Background Sound Throughout Healthcare Facilities

Since the earliest editions of the "FGI Guidelines" and the companion document "Sound and Vibration", controlled minimum background sound combined with appropriate isolation has been acknowledged as the minimum requirements necessary to achieve speech privacy in healthcare settings. Yet, the opportunity to take advantage of this balanced approach within the guideline is limited singularly to exam rooms. Everywhere else, controlled minimum background sound is ignored. And as a code requirement in many states, healthcare facility planners have no choice but to follow less effective and more costly "isolation-only" approaches in their attempts to achieve similar levels of speech privacy in other areas of the facility. This presentation explores the existing acoustic design criteria in the FGI Guidelines and highlights the value of expanding the use controlled minimum background sound both to achieve speech privacy and improve acoustic comfort well beyond the limits of the exam room.