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Previous Volume 328:433-437 February 11, 1993 Number 6 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Acoustical Society of America in June 1954, Dean Vern Knudsen of the University of California at Los Angeles observed that the maximal noise levels of daily living had increased about 1 dB per year over the previous 25 years. He wondered what the future would bring¹. Although he was referring to high-decibel noises like those encountered in transportation, construction, and military activities, a similar situation prevails in the modern hospital, where the previously serene milieu is gradually being debased by a sonic assault on the ears and psyche. The hospital . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Acoustic Sensitivity

Hospital Noise Levels

Noise and Arousal

Psychological and Cognitive Effects of Noise

Variations in Sensitivity to Noise

Implications for Patients and Staff

Suggestions for the Future

Awareness of the Problem

Acoustical Design of Hospitals

Quiet Areas within the Hospital

Modulated Alarm Systems

Development of "Noise-Cancellation Technology"

References

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