SOUNDscapes: A dashboard for promoting a healthy sound environment inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

According to recent studies, the number of auditory alarms and other sound disturbances has a significant negative impact on both the health of patients and the performance of medical staff in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). This paper presents SOUNDscapes, a digital platform concept where sound events occurring within the NICU are localized and visually mapped. The platform displays the NICU soundscape in real time and assesses the quality of the environment by two main visualizations, i.e., sound level trends and constellation map. The main goal of providing real-time feedback is to make healthcare operators aware of specific (sound) behaviors and their consequences by assessing and observing their collective impact on the unit, ultimately triggering a behavior change. The SOUNDscapes concept and visualizations have been evaluated through expert interviews and a user test with healthcare professionals. Results show that SOUNDscapes provides informative data and powerful visualizations. However, providing information is not enough unless such information becomes actionable.