Quiet! I'm Having Surgery

What hospitals are doing to improve patients' paths to recovery.

In the hospital, you need uninterrupted sleep as you recover, but hospital noises can be as loud as a jackhammer. So a growing number of hospitals are taking steps to reduce noise pollution.

At Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, administrative nurse manager Elodia Mercier implemented a SHHH (Silent Hospitals Help Healing) plan after patients rated noise control as important to a satisfactory visit. She measured decibel ranges and identified sources of excessive noise (shift changes, squeaky carts). Signs now line the hallways urging patients, visitors and staff to keep it down. Staffers put beepers on vibrate mode, and the volume on the intercom was lowered. Within two weeks, patients reported better sleep, and the staff said they felt less hectic and stressed. For more information, visit montefiore.org.

From Reader's Digest - April 2006

 

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