H
ospitals are busy places. Doctors,
nurses and staff are constantly
moving about, taking care of
patient needs. Carts are continually
being used to transport supplies, and
even patients. Beepers can go off at any
time. Lights are often on around the
clock. The hospital itself is continually
being cleaned.
While all of these activities are critical
to patient care, there is another component
often overlooked in the hospital
environment — the role a quiet, peaceful
environment plays in healing. Recently,
Kadlec Regional Medical Center joined
hospitals across the country in efforts
to create a quieter environment for
patients.
It’s an effort supported by research,
which has proven that rest contributes
to faster recovery and healing, according
to Bryan Payne, Kadlec’s Planetree
coordinator.“As we started to look into
the role of quiet and rest on patient
healing, we were surprised at its
importance. Patients need good, deep
rest and hospitals can, by nature, be
noisy places.”
That noise and busyness can make
patients anxious, confused, frustrated
and irritable, said Payne. A noisy
environment has been shown to cause
patients to lose up to two hours of sleep
each night, and increase heart rates,
blood pressure, respiratory rates and
cortisol levels.
To help, Kadlec has implemented
a program called Quietly Healing. It
creates awareness of the level of voices
and where people talk, especially at
night. Equipment has been modified to
reduce noise. Patients are given “quiet
Healing taking
place here
Shhh —
•
•
Speak quietly.
•
•
Turn phone and pagers
to silent or vibrate. When
you receive a call, take
it to a private area
where you will not
disturb others.
•
•
Use your “indoor”
voice. Don’t shout and
watch how loudly you
talk. Take those hallway
discussions to other
rooms.
•
•
Know that lights will
be dimmed on units
and in patient rooms.
•
•
Lower the TV volume
when you are talking to
a patient rather than
raising your voice to
speak over it.
Quiet tips for all of us
Quietly
Healing
We believe in
the positive impact
of a quiet, healing
environment for
our patients,
their loved ones
and our staff.
A Higher Level of Care
Studies show that a
quiet environment
helps with healing.
kits,” which include
earphones, sound
machines that provide
natural sounds such as
rain, and information
on aromatherapy
available at the
hospital.
Every floor has a
healing time in the
middle of the day, usually
from 3 to 4 p.m., to encourage rest and
relaxation. The lights are turned down
at night.
“We want patients and visitors to
be a part of Quietly Healing, too,” said
Payne.“We’ve put up signs about the
program, which also serve as a reminder.
We encourage them to let us know if
there is noise that is disturbing them.”
According to Payne, the new program
has been surprising to some.“We often
don’t think about the noise around us,
but when it is pointed out, you start
to recognize it. The calmer, quieter
environment has allowed patients
to relax and get the rest they need,
while also helping visitors and staff to
experience less stress,” he said.“Quietly
Healing clearly fits into our Planetree
efforts to make Kadlec patient-centered
in every way.
“We also want to help our patients
and families realize that a quiet, healing
environment is important beyond Kadlec,”
said Payne.“It also applies to wherever
patients go once they leave the hospital.”
www.kadlec.org
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