KATIA FUGAZZA – RIO DE JANEIRO REGIONAL DIRECTOR, ABDEH; ALEXANDRE GOIS DE ANDRADE – ARCHITECT; BRAZIL ACOUSTICS


Noise pollution in healthcare buildings


Brazilian Association for Hospital Building Development (ABDEH) regional director for Rio de Janeiro Kátia Fugazza and architect Alexandre Gois de Andrade present a case study into noise pollution in a urology ward at Hospital Universitario Gaffree e Guinle (HUGG) in Rio de Janeiro.


The questions that permeate this article are related to the users’ perceptions in the areas of shared use in healthcare. In this context, the research analyses the noise in the ward of the Hospital Universitario Gaffree e Guinle (HUGG) in Rio de Janeiro and verifies the causes of these. The work is developed from bibliographic and field surveys. The walkthrough post-


occupation assessment methodology was used, where the surroundings, the noise sources, the layout, the openings (doors and windows) were observed, as well as noise level measurements at two points in the ward. As a result of this study, it was observed that the noise sources cause acoustic discomfort, especially in long- stay environments, the object of this case study, both in the eventual aspect (noise caused by the ambulance when parking), and in the averages found in the acoustic measurements made in the infirmary due to human activity in the cafeteria of the annex building.


Acoustics in


healthcare settings Numerous studies have linked noise in healthcare settings with a variety of negative outcomes such as sleep disorders, high blood pressure, increased cardiac and respiratory rates, delay in wound healing, decreased immune responses, increased cortisol, and increased pain perception demonstrated by increased requests for pain medication (Pope, 1995; Pope 2010; Cabrera & Lee, 2000; Ulrich, 2008). Hamilton and Watkins (2009,


IFHE DIGEST 2022 Figure 1. HUGG situation plan.


p78) state that ‘healing environment is the result of a project that demonstrates measurable improvements in the physical and psychological state of patients, visitors, physicians and employees.’ This is one of the reasons why it is important that the hospital environment is welcoming, or at the very least, does not cause any harm to patient health. The sound signal of landlines and mobile


phones, the noise stemming from carts with nursing material, the conversations between health professionals, the sound signal of monitors, as well as other sound references produced by medical-hospital equipment should be considered as an integral part of the set of noises produced in health environments. (Bernasconi, 2001; Souza, 2003; apud Brazil, 2014). By performing a specific


analysis of noise sources in healthcare settings, Muniz


(2009) demonstrated the results of his research through the reports of ICU patients, where they, when answering the questionnaire about what bothered them the most, reported that were the sounds emitted by the devices as monitors, patient moaning, and the conversation of the employees during the exchange of shifts. That indicates, among other causes, the lack of training of the medical team and care.


Katia Fugazza Katia Fugazza is the Rio de Janeiro regional


director of the Brazilian Association for Hospital Building Development (ABDEH). Katia has a master’s degree in architecture from UFRJ, through the post-graduate programme in


architecture at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism. She is an architect and urban planner, with a specialization in health environments.


Alexandre Gois de Andrade


Alexandre Gois de Andrade is a Brazilian architect. He has a master’s degree in


architecture from UFRJ, through the post- graduate programme in architecture at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism.


Alexandre specialises in neuroarchitecture and eco-efficient buildings. He is also a production engineer and teacher at the Postgraduate Institute (IPOG).


Starting from his research


in two hospitals in the city of Belo Horizonte, in which male patients answered a questionnaire about sleep conditions related to perceived noises during their hospitalization, Pimentel- Souza (1996) considers that a noisier environment was linked to a perceived degradation of sleep quality by patients. The data are reported as


subjective evaluation in frequencies (per cent) of all 20 items tested in a sleep questionnaire applied to a total of 35 male patients in two hospitals on the last night before discharge. In both hospitals studied, the equivalent continuous sound level (Leq) of 45.5 dBA and


55


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