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December 16, 2008
Yacker Tracker helps minimize noise at Regions Hospital
Device monitors noise levels on patient care units
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Nursing departments at Regions Hospital are using the new "Yacker Tracker" to keep noise levels down on patient care units. Noise levels are a major concern for patients who are trying to rest and heal.
"The Yacker Tracker looks like a traffic light, but it actually measures the sound level in an area," said Mary Costello, RN, Regions Hospital nurse manager. "We set the desired sound level, and a green light on the tracker is displayed until loud noises change the light to yellow or red, it is a visual indication when noise levels become too loud."
With the new expansion project at Regions Hospital opening in 2009, sound control is a high priority. Many design features in the new expansion were chosen for acoustical reasons such as the ceiling tiles and the rubber flooring.
Unwanted sound can have a negative impact on patient outcomes and caregiver effectiveness. A recent John Hopkins study showed that hospital noise levels have increased significantly over the past five decades and high levels of sound have negative physical and psychological effects on patients, disrupting sleep, increasing stress, and decreasing patients' confidence in the competence of their clinical caregivers.
About Regions Hospital
HealthPartners family of care includes Regions Hospital (www.regionshospital.com ), a full service hospital certified as a Level I Trauma Center serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin for more than 130 years. Founded in 1957, the HealthPartners (www.healthpartners.com) family of health care companies serve more than one million medical and dental health plan members nationwide and is the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit health care organization in the nation, providing care, coverage, research and education to improve the health of members, patients and the community.
Contact: 952-883-5305
Pager: 612-629-0411
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