Healthcare Design - December 2016 - 30

piping-are properly detailed and installed, including limiting penetrations
MORE
through walls where possible by using appropriate acoustical sealants. "OthONLINE:
er factors considered to minimize noise from mechanical equipment, as perIn addition to
ceived in normally occupied spaces, include duct arrangement, the length
minimizing noise
disruptions in
of runs, and use of elbows and duct silencers or acoustical lining of fittings,"
healthcare facilities,
Simbari says.
designers must also
While elbows (fabricated angle fittings) help absorb sound into the duct
provide patient
wall, acoustic duct liner on the interior of ducts can also help. In cases
privacy. For tips
on best practices,
where sound is even more of an issue, a duct silencer-typically a larger
visit HCDmagazine.
section of duct with baffles installed midstream-can be very effective. "Apcom/article/
plications of these measures depend on numerous factors including sound
privacy-please.
generated by equipment, function of the space being served and the acceptable sound levels for such spaces, velocity of air in the duct, allowable
pressure drop to compensate for the sound attenuation device/approach,
and the physical space available," he says.
Yet another potential source of unwanted noise is back-to-back electrical
or data outlets in adjacent rooms, so offsetting these devices is important,
Larsen says. Furthermore,
noise-producing equipment
NEW PRODUCTS IN THE WORKS
such as ice machines, vending
machines, refrigerators, and
INCLUDE AN ANTIMICROBIAL,
freezers should be physically
ACOUSTICALLY RATED WALL AND
separated from open corriHIPAA-APPROVED VOICE MASKING.
dors, if possible.

DECEMBER 2016

HCDMAGAZINE.COM

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Manufacturers are continuing to develop products
that further address sound masking in healthcare
settings. For example, an antimicrobial, acoustically rated wall and a HIPAA-approved voice privacy
masking system are both in the works. Meanwhile,
Davenny anticipates that improvements in medical
device and alarm interoperability/communication
will produce fewer nuisance alarms, too.
Ultimately, the rapidly changing healthcare
scene-driven by uncertainties with healthcare reform in the wake of a new Republican administration, evolving HIPAA regulations, and advancing
technology-will surely impact how care is delivered and how acoustics comes into play in healthcare design, Simbari says.
"Patients don't want to hear what's going on in
the room next to them. The expectation is that the
design will help provide a patient experience that
encourages healing and creates a positive environment and experience," he says. 
Barbara Horwitz-Bennett is a freelance writer based in Jerusalem. She can be reached at BBENNETT@BEZEQINT.NET.

http://hcdmagazine.com/article/privacy-please http://hcdmagazine.com/article/privacy-please http://hcdmagazine.com/article/privacy-please http://healthdesign.org http://healthdesign.org http://www.HCDMAGAZINE.COM

Healthcare Design - December 2016

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