Telehealth
1 / 13Pages

VIDEO CONFERENCE ROOMS • ACOUSTIC DESIGN GUIDE Acoustic Telehealth Design Telemedicine Guide Video conferencing

This guide contains a quick and accessible TELEHEALTH FOR A BETTER FUTURE introduction to the most important acoustic design aspects of rooms used for telehealth ACOUSTICS OF VIDEO CONFERENCE ROOMS – meaning rooms with video and audio ACOUSTIC DEMANDS equipment. The primary function of rooms PLACEMENT OF ACOUSTIC MATERIALS designed for telehealth is to provide optimal conditions for remote doctor/healthcare TERMS USED IN ACOUSTICS professionals/ patient communication. A room with good acoustics should support an often vulnerable situation where a patient meets a healthcare professional and...

TELEHEALTH FOR A BETTER FUTURE 2020 was the first time in history when more professional interactions took place digitally than face to face. It is clear that this type of communication has come to stay and will become a regular part of professional life. Luckily it holds great potential for healthcare, sustainability and people in general. At the same time this technology also presents some challenges, as our patient/healthcare professional meeting now have to accommodate this new way of interacting. The rise in online consultations has given patients an opportunity to contact clinicians...

ACOUSTICS OF VIDEO CONFERENCE ROOMS As in many other architectural domains, acoustics in rooms for audio and/or video conferencing has a tendency to be Reverberation is the phenomenon of sound waves being reflected between surfaces in a room. overlooked. Despite being called “video conferencing,”’ audio is actually the most important aspect of this technology. This generates noise and degrades clarity of speech. Reverberation is primarily mitigated by When looking at video conferencing studies unfortunately: installing materials that absorb sound energy. • Audio problems are the main issue...

ACOUSTIC DESIGN GUIDE TELEHEALTH ROOMS ACOUSTIC DESIGN GUIDE TELEHEALTH ROOMS ACOUSTIC DESIGN GUIDE TELEHEALTH ROOMS

Sound transmitted during video conferencing is affected by From an acoustic perspective, a room used for telehealth must fulfil three purposes at the same time. It must be: the reverberation of two rooms simultaneously: the source room and the receiving room. This means that acoustic demands for video conference rooms should be considered A good meeting room A good recording room A good listening room twice as much for normal conference rooms. High acoustic demands are basically met by considering the acoustic characteristics of all surfaces in the room, to minimize reverberation and...

ACOUSTIC CONSIDERATIONS PLACEMENT OF ACOUSTIC MATERIALS Ceiling Rooms for telehealth and video conferences For the best results a fully covering suspended acoustic ceiling is recommended. This type of ceiling provides the highest degree should have some of the highest acoustic of absorption over the entire frequency spectrum. Low frequencies (deep sounds) are particularly problematic in small rooms such demands of any room type found in a as normal video conference rooms. Suspended ceilings are also the ideal way of handling this issue. In cases where a suspended normal healthcare facility....

PLACEMENT OF ACOUSTIC MATERIALS Scattering Much like an asymmetrical room shape, rough and uneven surfaces will also improve the acoustic conditions when used in conjunction with highly absorbing materials, as they scatter the sound and prevent reoccurring reflections between parallel surfaces. Sound Insulation Insulation from the ambient sound environment is important for both the audio/visual interaction and to ensure speech privacy for sensitive matters. It is recommended that only the most effective sound-insulating methods are utilised in the construction of video conference rooms. In...

TELEHEALTH AND TELEMEDICINE Very often consultations take place in an ordinary room for examination or treatment in an outpatient clinic or in a hospital. Very often this room also functions as the doctor’s office where documentation, communication and performance is key. The healthcare professional cannot control the room and audio equipment of the patient which sets even higher acoustic demands for the professional’s room. Room acoustic treatment on several surfaces is needed to secure clear speech from the healthcare professional to the patient to minimize misunderstanding and mistakes....

Acoustic treatment in this room This room is typically what rooms for telehealth look like. It is a doctor’s office and examination/treatment room that also allows for digital and telephone consultations. The room acoustic solution should therefore support various acoustic events where either one or several sound sources will affect the listener and communication. A suspended acoustic and hygienic ceiling is highly important to avoid reverberance and sound building up. Acoustic wall panels should also be part of the optimum solution to avoid late sound reflections that interfere with clear...

TERMS USED IN ACOUSTICS TERMS USED IN ACOUSTICS Low frequencies and small rooms Reverberation time is the most basic room acoustic parameter and specifies the time period it takes for sound energy to dissipate in Put simply, lower frequencies (deeper sounds) are more likely to reverberate in smaller rooms such as video conference rooms. Which an enclosed space. Roughly speaking, the longer reverberation time, the noisier a room will be and the less intelligible speech will frequencies are determined by the specific geometry and size of any given room. If not treated acoustically these...

GET TO KNOW US Saint-Gobain Ecophon develops, manufactures and markets acoustic products and systems that contribute to a good working environment by enhancing peoples’ wellbeing and performance. Our promise »A sound effect on people« is the core backbone of everything we do. By following us on Social Media you stay abreast of all the latest acoustic findings, acoustic research and product development, and can also see inspirational new reference cases. Ecophon has been involved in international studies and gathering acoustic knowledge for more than 50 years. The most important information...