These sounds cause more than just irritation. A growing body of research shows that noise can actually harms patients—to say nothing of preventing them from getting the rest they need for recovery, which lowers HCAHPS scores (in the United States).

And they’re not the only ones affected. Noise can also exhaust staff and disrupt their concentration, affecting workplace satisfaction and, in turn, the quality of care they provide to their patients.

Noise also makes speech privacy a concern, especially when legislation like HIPAA (the United States’ Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) requires that healthcare entities take all reasonable safeguards to protect verbal communication.

Sound masking can address these acoustical issues, and help create an environment that both promotes healing and supports the delivery of care.