This book explores acoustic effects in hospitals, with a particular focus on the critical care environment, where noise is a major problem, and addresses the resulting design issues as part of the optimisation of the overall physical environment. It describes the current acoustic conditions in hospital wards and corridors both theoretically and experimentally by combining a series of field measurements, interviews, questionnaire surveys and computer modelling. The characteristics of typical sound sources and sound fields, verified prediction models, the influence of staff and patient behaviour, and an agent-based acoustic design tool are introduced, helping readers to better understand this fascinating multidisciplinary field.
Fundamentals.- Basic theory of sound.- Sound field in front of a
boundary.- Sound in enclosures.- Modelling techniques.- Sound Environment in
Hospitals.- Noise in the healthcare environment.- Introduction of critical
care.- Noise on patients sleep.- Environmental noise and socio-economic
factors of hospitals.- Processing of noise map & socio-economic factors.-
Sound Environment of the Critical Care Department Grounded Theory Study.
Professor Hui Xie obtained his PhD degree in hospital acoustics at the School of Architecture, University of Sheffield. After the completion of his PhD, he worked in Sheffield and Cambridge as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. Since 2012, he has been working for Chongqing University under the 100 Talents Plan. His main research interests are architectural acoustics, urban sound environment and soundscape. Till now, he has published more than 30 academic papers, including 13 SCI indexed papers, 8 EI indexed papers, along with 20+ international conference papers. He has been the principal investigator and co-investigator for 15+ research projects funded by EU, UK and Chinas research councils. As a Full Member of the Institute of Acoustics (MIOA) and a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv), he is the recipient of several academic awards. He has been a consultant for a large number of major acoustics and noise control projects in the EU and China.
