Better spatial acoustics in acute clinical environments: overcoming the infection control challenges in material selection.

Published research has established firm links between adverse effects on patients and excessive noise levels in acute clinical areas. While the extent of building insulation in the form of walls and doors is frequently not that critical to patient care, the operational noise produced by actual healthcare activities has much more acute effects on patient and staff wellbeing. Guidance on loudness and reverberation control is available in AS/NZS 2107, but the use of absorptive surfaces to reduce reverberation and operational noise is commonly assumed to be an infection risk and subsequently omitted. Through surveys of infection specialists, designers and literature review, evidence suggests that concerns about infection spread via acoustic ceilings and high level wall areas are not well founded for many clinical spaces. Cleaning and Infection specialists expectations and procedures do not always align with architectural and acoustic design approaches. Healthcare facilities are frequently receiving poor spatial acoustic outcomes in acute care spaces due to unfounded infection control fears or concerns about increased budgets needed to meet acoustic needs for no genuine benefit. The result is missed opportunities to improve patient care without inheriting undue risk for spread of infection. This work identifies the common ground that between improved clinical outcomes, infection control needs and absorptive acoustic products. Designers must still be conscious of how the personal experience of key stakeholders can have significant influence on the assumptions and expectations. Designers wanting to introduce acoustic absorption need to approach key stakeholders with an understanding of their specific goals to determine if absorbers can fit in with these goals to overcome any historical bias for hard surfaces. For user group managers, designs that improve re-admission rates are critical. For cleaning and infection control managers, continuity of established cleaning processes and materials that can be wiped down are critical.