Four Master’s students in Mechanical/Electronic Engineering at the University of Portsmouth have recently undertaken a project looking at ‘excessively high’ noise levels in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Here they report on the findings of their research – which included surveying the public – and highlight a number of potential active and passive control measures to take to make such environments quieter and more ‘calming’.
Noise levels in intensive care units (ICUs) in hospitals are generally excessively high. In many cases measured noise levels many times exceed those recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).1 The aim of this project is to consider this problem, and to propose methods to reduce the levels of noise in ICUs through an approach combining acoustical modelling and analysis of sources of sound and environment in ICU. This can in turn lead to development and implementation of carefully designed and targeted passive and active noise control methods in the second stage of the project. As a multidisciplinary group of Master’s students at the University of Portsmouth, we worked on this project as a part of our final year, ‘Multidisciplinary Group Project’ module.
A ’somewhat unconventional model’
Group Project is the module on the fourth year of the MEng studies on two Engineering schools at the University of Portsmouth. The aim of this somewhat unconventional module is to prepare students for (almost) real work situations, requiring them to work in interdisciplinary groups – mirroring industry working practice – and demonstrate accomplishment of a wide range of non-technical (soft) skills that companies demand, such as teamwork, critical thinking, progress reporting, communication skills, meeting times, division of responsibilities, presentations, and managing risks. Running throughout the second semester of the final year of studies, it is meant to be a challenging, original, and usually a multidisciplinary, design project.
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