The Case for Carpet

When people think of areas for recovery after medical treatment they often envision a comfortable, calm and quite recuperation area. However, noise is often a problem at healthcare facilities

The are many sources of noise in healthcare facilities, including telephones, pagers, monitors and alarms, paging systems, wheeled equipment, IV poles, televisions and automatic doors. HVAC systems are the most common source of background noise, and the human voice is also major source.

The effects of noise in healthcare settings are diverse, ranging from inpatients reporting unsatisfactory hospital experiences to more serious consequences, such as causing life threatening medication errors.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended guideline values for background noise in hospitals is 45 decibels during the day and 35 dB at night. But these levels are voluntary and not enforced by law or by code, and are rarely met. Published studies have reported noise levels in excess of 95 dB in patient care areas, precisely where the advantages of good acoustic management are most needed.

Patients in facilities with good acoustical management have better outcomes, heal more quickly and report a more satisfactory experience, according to Press Ganey exit surveys.

Similarly, caregivers report enhanced performance in quieter environments that facilitate fewer distractions, lower mental fatigue and lessen vocal strain. Investigators further report 20 percent to 30 percent reductions in staff errors, preventing incalculable patient discomfort and saving facilities billions of dollars annually in avoided costs.

As the consequences of the noise epidemic in healthcare — physical, emotional and financial — become more widely understood by hospital administrators, patients, caregivers and the architecture and development community, so too has the role of carpet in creating a better sound environment.

Two tests are most often used to measure the acoustic performance of flooring in healthcare: ASTM C423 reports airborne noise reduction and noise reduction coefficients of interior surfaces and finishes; ASTM E90 reports the impact insulation classification of surfaces. By either test, carpet is an extraordinarily effective acoustic management tool.

Compared to hard surfaces typically found in healthcare — such as luxury vinyl tile, rubber flooring, engineered flooring and VCT — carpet absorbs 15 percent to 25 percent of airborne noise. Hard surfaces absorb 5 percent of airborne noise, or less. Perhaps more important, carpet is especially effective in absorbing frequencies common to background noise, which dramatically improves speech recognition.

This is important for personnel who are transcribing a verbal order from a physician into a written order on a medical chart. Errors of this type often result in lawsuits and potentially costly settlements. Carpet also provides acoustic management, which, combined with good noise reduction programs, creates an environment favorable to good patient outcomes.

Keith Gray is director of technical marketing for the Mohawk Group.