Noise control in hospitals : a report of an enquiry

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The idea of finding out which particular noises in hospitals were most worrying to patients was considered by the King's Fund in 1956 and it was decided that the hospital visitors should make special enquiries during the course of their visits to London hospitals. The resulting comments, which were made by hospitals' staff, referred more often than not to outside noise than to those emanating from within the hospitals themselves. There was however a general consciousness that hospitals were becoming rather noisy and that something ought to be done about it. The analysis of the reports showed that most of the noises which disturbed patients arose within wards, and that they could be stopped at source without great difficulty and at little expense. If hospitals are to be kept as quiet as they should be for the proper care and welfare of patients, there must be constant vigilance on the part of the staff. There must be closer cooperation between the nursing, administrative and maintenance departments and, because of the inevitable changes amongst staff, these points must periodically be brought to their notice if a reasonable standard of noise-control is to be maintained.

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