by Arline L. Bronzaft, Ph.D., Board of Directors, GrowNYC, and Co-founder, The Quiet Coalition
In a 2017 presentation, referring to an earlier paper I had written with Rita Wynne Herzig in 1999, I noted that hospital noise was a serious problem for patients and staff and that not enough has been done to reduce sound levels in hospitals. Suggestions to lessen hospital sounds included better design and quieter equipment.
A recent article, “Noise Pollution in Hospitals,” underscores the fact that noise still remains a hazard for hospital patients and staff. The authors of a study linking sleep loss to increased feelings of pain would agree, as they use their findings to call for lower sound levels in hospitals. In fact, they suggested the distribution of earplugs to patients to lessen the sounds and improve their sleep. But researchers who have studied the impacts of noise on health for many years know that it is best to reduce noise at the source. Some ways to reduce hospital noise can be found at Dr. Susan E. Mazer’s blog.
