A comparative study on soundscape perceptions of patients, patients’ relatives, and healthcare staff in Bilkent University health center and Bilkent city hospital oncology outpatient polyclinic

Abstract

This thesis aims to compare soundscape perceptions in the waiting areas of two different outpatient healthcare environments, which are the Bilkent University Health Center and the Bilkent City Hospital Oncology Polyclinic. The Health Center is a small facility located on the university campus, whereas the Hospital Polyclinic is a part of the much larger city hospital complex. 138 participants took part in the study, including 70 individuals at the University Health Center and 68 at the Hospital Polyclinic. Participant groups included patients, patients’ relatives, and healthcare staff, allowing for comparisons across user groups within settings. Perceptual data were collected on-site using a questionnaire based on ISO/TS 12913-2 Method A. Measurements of equivalent continuous A-weighted sound levels (LAeq) were also taken during peak occupancy in both settings. The questionnaire data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 27.0 Statistics software. Significant differences were tested with non-parametric tests (Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U). Correlations were examined using Spearman’s Rho. The results revealed that human sounds were the most dominant source in both healthcare settings, consistently identified by all user groups. Perceived Affective Quality (PAQ) results showed that the University Health Center was perceived as significantly more uneventful, calm, and vibrant, whereas the Hospital Polyclinic was perceived as more annoying and chaotic. In the Health Center, healthcare staff perceived the soundscape as significantly more vibrant than patients and patients’ relatives, while no significant differences were found among user groups in the Hospital Polyclinic. The sound environment in the Health Center was also rated as more appropriate than Hospital Polyclinic. Correlation analysis further showed that longer stays in waiting areas of both settings were associated with negative perceptions, which were greater in the Hospital Polyclinic. These results emphasize how differences in environmental characteristics between the two settings influence users’ auditory perceptions and show that different user groups may perceive the same environment in different ways.