For patients across the country, hospital noise, particularly at night, can be more than an annoyance. It can disturb sleep, cause blood pressure to rise, and negatively impact the healing process. With the help of Allen Technologies’ Quiet Sounds module, released this year as part of Allen’s Interactive Patient System, hospitals can alleviate noise.
The module features three soothing sound tracks from which patients can choose to help them decrease environmental noise and achieve restful sleep. Patients can select run times of 30, 60, 90, or 120 minutes. Once selected, the in-room TV screen automatically fades to black, further enhancing a restful room environment. The soothing sounds are delivered via the bed’s pillow speakers so that patients in semi-private rooms can each listen without bothering another patient.
“Hospitals are busy around the clock, with patients being admitted, transferred, and cared for at all hours. That makes it challenging to maintain a quiet environment,” says Jerry Folsom, Allen Technologies president and CEO, in a release. “Noise can come from squeaky medication carts in corridors, doors opening and closing, clinicians talking, equipment beeps, bed alarms, and even disruptive patients.”
