A new movement is quietly creeping into healthcare, and its silencing effect is being felt at one New York hospital.
Press Ganey reports, which measure patient satisfaction, have long included noise level on it surveys, and some hospitals, like St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica, NY, are working to ensure noise doesn’t disrupt a patient’s stay. The hospital is working to reduce noise levels in an effort to increase patient safety and create better patient outcomes, reports WKTV, the local NBC news affiliate.
Nurse Manager Georgi O’Rourke is leading the H.U.S.H. project, which stands for Help Us Silence Halls. Initiatives include signs to remind patients, visitors, and employees to quiet down, and the wheels on carts used to deliver food and oxygen have been replaced with rubber to better muffle the noise.
Is your hospital implementing a similar program? Has it ever been brought up? Would you enjoy a quieter work environment? Post your comment below.
December 15th, 2009 at 10:52 am
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December 15th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
The last hospital where I worked had a designated quiet time at 4 pm. The lights were dimmed and relaxing music was played on the intercom. Staff were asked to keep all converstions to minimum and in a whisper. Visitors were asked to remain in rooms quietly. It helped patients but it helped nurses also. The time seemed to uplift them even though it only lasted for an hour.