HOSPITAL NOISE: A SUBJECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Singapore strives to become the leading regional medical hub, and most hospitals are equipped with very sophisticated medical technology to serve the needs of patients. However, there is no regulation to govern the aural environment of hospitals. Hospital noise is a large disturbance that affects the rest of patients and the productivity of hospital staffs. It could also lead to fatal medical errors. Therefore, there is a need to establish a set of guidelines for local hospitals, and this paper aims to provide the groundwork for it. This dissertation looks at the key areas of concern in hospital structures in relation to foreign guidelines and the acoustic specifications for the building stated in the tender documents. It requires an objective study of the commissioning test results of the hospital, and a subjective study that involves interviews with the hospital staffs. The objective study of commissioning test involves the evaluation of acoustic performance of partitions and background noise of rooms. This comparison between actual situation and required level of performance will show areas of weakness in the structure of the hospital. These areas identified will be compared with the level of satisfaction of interviewees. The interview process will focus on extracting information on how users feel about the acoustic performance of the department. It is also a great opportunity to collect information on other sources of noise previously unfound in the literature reviews. There will then be a conclusion if there is an over-specification or under-specification of the tender documents and will set for a platform to compare with other foreign guidelines. Although the interviewee sample is not representative of the medical staff of the hospital, the interviewees have provided insightful suggestions and feedback that should be considered in the drafting of local hospital acoustics regulations.