Main description:

This book explores acoustic effects in hospitals, with a particular focus on the critical care environment, where noise is a major problem, and addresses the resulting design issues as part of the optimisation of the overall physical environment. It describes the current acoustic conditions in hospital wards and corridors both theoretically and experimentally by combining a series of field measurements, interviews, questionnaire surveys and computer modelling. The characteristics of typical sound sources and sound fields, verified prediction models, the influence of staff and patient behaviour, and an agent-based acoustic design tool are introduced, helping readers to better understand this fascinating multidisciplinary field.

Contents:

Fundamentals.- Basic theory of sound.- Sound field in front of a boundary.- Sound in enclosures.- Modelling techniques.- Sound Environment in Hospitals.- Noise in the healthcare environment.- Introduction of critical care.- Noise on patients' sleep.- Environmental noise and socio-economic factors of hospitals.- Processing of noise map & socio-economic factors.- Sound Environment of the Critical Care Department - Grounded Theory Study.- Grounded theory.- Multi-dependant environment.- Sound Field of Typical Hospital Wards.- Acoustic measurement and simulation methods.- Measurement results.- Simulation results.- Sound Field of U-Shaped Long Space in Hospitals.- Validation of acoustic software.- Parametric study based on computer simulation.- Empirical sound propagation equations.- Sound Power Levels of Typical Medical Equipment.- Measurement methods.- Sound power level of individual equipment.- Sound environment with multiple pieces of equipment.- Behaviour Observation of Major Noi

se Sources.- Noise observation method.- Agent-Based Design Tool of Hospital Acoustic Environment.