ACOUSTIC BOOTH

Typical Number in Hospital: 2

Cost Bands: 5

References: 8

In hospitals this normally takes the form of a small room or chamber in which audiometric tests are performed. The DHSS (UK) recommendations for the design of ENT departments states that for such tests the maximum ambient noise is 30 dBA and the maximum reverberation time is 250 ms. This can be achieved by suitable construction and treatment of a room or preferably by the installation of an acoustically isolated inner chamber. Acoustic booths found in many hospitals do not meet these standards, and other requirements such as wheelchair access and silent ventilation have often been neglected.

Other names for an acoustic booth may include sound-proof room, audiometric room and anechoic chamber (although this term normally applies to a research installation with more stringent specifications).