Before

Kathryn really likes being a doctor. It gives her great satisfaction to help people, but she also enjoys that the medical profession is both a manual and theoretic job.

In the consulting room you establish the first contact with your patient and here you start your journey towards diagnosis and treatment. First examinations are generally performed by hand – and by ear. The clues are given through physical examination and conversation – but both Kathryn and the patient are unhappy with the situation.

It is difficult for Kathryn to clearly hear what the patient is describing; the patient's voice is weak and gets distorted and blurred by reflections from the hard, cleanable surfaces of the parallel walls. As the room is minimally furnished there are too few diffusing objects that can direct the horizontal sound waves up into the acoustic ceiling where they then would be absorbed.

After

By adding wall panels to the wall where conversations take place, sound distorting late reflections from speech are absorbed. This makes the consultation more comfortable for both Kathryn and the patient and can increase patient safety. The addition of wall absorption clarifies speech and allows even a weak voice to be heard, and for medical inquiries and instructions to be heard and understood by the patient.