Kristin Bleedorn, PE, Senior Acoustical Engineer – Henderson Companies
Q: How can architecture improve the outcomes of ambient listening?
A: As AI and ambient listening technologies become increasingly integrated into modern healthcare environments, it is essential that architects and engineers work together to protect both the patient and provider.
The acoustic design of a typical patient or exam room has the power to either support or detract from the functionality of ambient listening devices. In our experience, the FGI (Facility Guidelines Institute) Guidelines for Design and Construction set the design team up for success by outlining criteria for limiting the reverberation, providing an adequate level of sound isolation, and maintaining a comfortable background noise level. Following the guidelines helps us mitigate AI error, ensuring the environment safeguards patient privacy and provider accuracy in notes and diagnoses.
To amplify the impact of ambient listening technologies, our team believes architects and engineers must address these three primary aspects:
Reverberation
Speech clarity in typical exam and treatment rooms can be achieved by keeping the dimensions of these spaces as small as functionality and FFE allows, then integrating the FGI minimum sound absorption coefficients. Ultimately, the shape and volume of these spaces are the auxiliary factors that affect reverberation.
For example, in large, rectangular rooms, two sets of parallel walls that are 30 feet or more apart can detract from the acoustic characteristics experienced. This is due to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. reflections of sound off the hard surface floor and walls, which cause syllables and words to be blurred. Smaller room dimensions allow those reflections to more quickly reach the listener, enhancing the clarity of speech.
Sound Isolation
FGI Guidelines recommend the demising partitions between exam, treatment, and procedure rooms maintain a minimum STC-50 (Sound Transmission Class) rating. Subjectively, normal voices are audible but are subdued and muffled. Ambient listening AI-driven tools can take advantage of this unintelligibility, successfully obtaining only the speech it’s intended to capture.
Background Noise
Similar to sound isolation criteria, FGI advises noise levels in private patient spaces to be no more than NC-40. This is frequently achievable since such spaces are often located a significant distance from major HVAC equipment and are then served from VAV units that can effortlessly be selected to suit limits on the noise output needs.
Kristin Bleedorn, PE, is a Senior Acoustical Engineer at Henderson Companies in Denver, Colorado. She is licensed in the State of Oregon and has over 20 years of design and construction experience, collaborating with architects and managing engineering teams to implement resilient, technology-driven solutions. Kristin’s diverse portfolio includes acoustical design projects across the healthcare, civic, community, hospitality, retail, residential, corporate, and higher education sectors.
