Rubber flooring reduces impact of noise
Rubber flooring also reduces the negative impact of noise. As the foundation of the built environment, flooring plays a primary role in transferring the noise generated by hospital alarms, printers, chair casters, rolling equipment, footsteps created by hard-soled shoes, and cleaning equipment (steam-cleaning of rubber floors is much quieter). All contribute significantly to sound levels in the healing environment, which have long been a source of complaints.
Evidence-based research studies show noise also has a direct, measurable, and negative impact on healing. (Visit www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132312001758 and www.interiorsandsources.com/article-details/articleid/20950/viewall/true?title=the%20art%20of%20healing%20spaces%20that%20perform for more.) Noise can cause sleep disruption, which affects wound healing and increases the need for medication and the length of stay. So pervasive is the issue of noise, the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient satisfaction survey asks, “During this hospital stay, how often was the area around your room quiet at night?” This question has frequently received the lowest patient scores in health systems. (For more on acoustics in hospitals, visit www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/architecture/quiet-design-exploring-hcahps-findings.)
Noise has also been associated with undue stressors that negatively impact caregivers and can be error-provoking. It can irritate nurses, increase cognitive fatigue, hasten emotional exhaustion and burnout, and contribute to retention issues and communication difficulties, among other problems.
Evidence-based research suggests among common healthcare flooring surfaces, rubber generally produces the least impact noise. (This research can be found in B. Davenny’s January 2010 piece, “Auditory Assistance: Strategies to reduce hospital noise problems” in Health Facilities Management.) Absorbent, acoustic rubber flooring can reduce footfall sound. Those tasked with specifying a floorcovering should properly compare impact insulation class (IIC) and delta impact insulation classification (∆IIC) values among various resilient flooring manufacturers.
Fatigue impacts staff performance
The cause of exhaustion among staff is not limited to noise. For caregivers and members of the housekeeping staff, hard, unforgiving flooring surfaces can perpetuate physical fatigue and negatively impact performance by limiting the ability to perform personal and work-related activities. Musculoskeletal injuries are chronic in nature, and the result can be reduced productivity and increased absenteeism, opportunities for errors, and costs associated with workers’ compensation, retraining, and retention.
Premium rubber is especially resilient, easing the stress of walking and standing while ensuring comfort underfoot and allowing nurses to concentrate on their patients rather than the pain in their feet.
