Improving soundscapes in the Intensive Care Unit by a listener-centric approach
B.E. van der Stelt (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
E. Ozcan Vieira – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Perceptual Intelligence)
M.K. Chmarra – Mentor (TU Delft - Human Factors)
Sesmu Arbous – Mentor (Leiden University Medical Center)
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Abstract
Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are complex socio-technical environments where sound plays an essential role in clinical workflows, monitoring systems, and communication between healthcare professionals. However, several sound-induced problems have been identified in ICU environments, such as (mental) health complaints due to prolonged or excessive sound exposure, decreased concentration, extended response times, and alarm fatigue. At the same time, the ICU soundscape is shared by multiple user groups, while sound itself fulfils important functional roles. This makes improving soundscape quality a complex design challenge. This project seeks to advance the soundscape experience for various ICU stakeholders through the development of a consolidated, listener-centric design strategy.
This graduation project combines a listener-centric approach with a multi-perspective analysis to design a soundscape intervention strategy for the ICU at the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC). First, the acoustic environment was analysed through observations, sound measurements, and environmental mapping in order to structure the sonic environment and identify sound categories. Subsequently, the ICU was examined as an acoustic biotope, analysing relationships between sound functions, user roles, and user needs. These insights formed the basis for a problem analysis and sound-driven design exploration.
The research resulted in the development of “The Roadmap towards the Ideal Soundscape”, a strategic design tool that visualises the current ICU soundscape and identifies opportunities for soundscape improvement. The roadmap integrates both short- and long-term design opportunities and supports stakeholders in developing awareness and making sound-conscious decisions. It therefore provides a tailored design strategy for the LUMC to improve the quality of the ICU soundscape.