FGI Guidelines for healthcare acoustic design

The Facility Guideline Institute's (FGI) Guidelines are a two-volume industry standard document focused on the design and construction of health care facilities in the United States. Currently, 42 U.S. states use at least one edition of the Guidelines in some form into their building codes and they are also widely used internationally, including in Canada. The Guidelines are revised following an open, formal, Continual Improvement Process that includes a peer- and public-review incorporating the latest research and changes in healthcare laws. Due to such issues as patient privacy and evidence linking hospital acoustics and patient recovery, acoustical criteria for healthcare facilities was formally introduced into the FGI Guidelines beginning in the 2010 cycle. This session will discuss the current acoustical criteria in the recently released 2014 cycle.