Experiencing the hospital ward soundscape: Towards a model

Within healthcare design the soundscape or auditory landscape is often overlooked in favour of a focus on sound level. However, sound level is only one aspect of the soundscape. In order to improve healthcare environments it is important to understand the role of sound and to determine what may be positive, negative, and the feelings that different soundscapes can evoke. This paper reports on a semi-structured interview study which aimed to understand individuals' subjective responses to the soundscape of a cardiothoracic ward within a public University Hospital in the UK. A total of 27 in-situ interviews were conducted with patients and nurses and thematic coding was used to develop a conceptual model describing perception. This revealed that the soundscape is a diverse mix of sound sources with perception dependent not only on specific sounds, but also the physical, temporal and social context in which they are heard. Subjectively, the soundscape held both positive and negative aspects. It was found that coping methods were adopted by individuals by accepting and habituating to aspects of the soundscape. The conceptual model highlights potential physical and cognitive interventions that could be explored which may make the soundscape more positively perceived regardless of sound level.