According to recent research, a poor acoustic environment can negatively affect a patient’s health and recovery. The Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) Guidelines for Design and Construction is a document that architects, consultants, and engineers refer to when designing outpatient facilities and hospitals. The main goal of the FGI is to keep the patients comfortable and to promote healing. Although the obvious focus is on sanitation, ventilation, size of facilities, equipment etc., the FGI doesn’t neglect often overlooked areas such as acoustics. While medical facilities comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards on speech privacy, FGI adds over 14 additional guidelines on various acoustical issues including site exterior noise, existing exterior noise, facility noise emissions, exterior noise classification, and room noise levels. Acoustics are actually incredibly important to the well-being of a patient. The FGI has recognized this and it is the reason for such detail within the guidelines.
The FGI is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing guidance for the planning, design, and construction of hospitals, outpatient facilities, and residential health, care, and support facilities. They oversee the FGI Guidelines for Design and Construction revision process and publication, fund research, and offer resources that support the development of safe, effective health and residential care built environments. FGI partners with numerous other organizations to help develop the Guidelines and other practical, evidence-informed publications.
If you want to learn more about the effects of a poor acoustic environment on patients, check out our previous blog post “Hospitals and Acoustics” (https://ta-inc.com/hospitals-and-acoustics/)