Faculty mentor/PI email address
jim010@aol.com
Is your research Teaching and Learning based?
1
Keywords
ED noise, ED music, ED alarms, ED ambient sound, ED soundscape; Complex adaptive systems; Environmental modulation; Cognitive load;
Date of Presentation
5-6-2026 12:00 AM
Poster Abstract
Background:
Music and ambient sound (including noise and other sounds) are frequently present in emergency departments (EDs), yet their role as environmental modifiers remains under-theorized. Existing literature largely examines background music, for example, in procedural or perioperative contexts, with limited attention to open, high-density, multi-agent acute care systems.
Objective:
To conceptualize auditory input as a dynamic environmental variable within the ED viewed as a Complex Adaptive System (CAS), integrating neurobiological mechanisms with systems-level implications.
Methods/Conceptual Approach: Narrative conceptual synthesis integrating neurobiology of auditory processing, affective neuroscience, cognitive load theory, and complexity science.
Results:
Conceptual Insights: Auditory stimuli engage distributed neural networks including auditory cortex, limbic structures, dopaminergic reward pathways, and autonomic regulatory systems. Effects are modulated by familiarity, preference, acoustic fidelity, and task demands. Within a CAS, auditory input may alter local agent states (staff and patients), influencing communication density, affective tone, and system stability.
Conclusion:
Auditory environments in the ED warrant reframing as active system variables rather than passive background features. Phase-dependent effects should be empirically examined.
Disciplines
Emergency Medicine | Health and Medical Administration | Medicine and Health Sciences
Soundscapes (Ambient Sound, Noise, Music and other Background Sound) in the Emergency Department: An Under-Theorized Environmental Modifier in a Complex Adaptive System
Background:
Music and ambient sound (including noise and other sounds) are frequently present in emergency departments (EDs), yet their role as environmental modifiers remains under-theorized. Existing literature largely examines background music, for example, in procedural or perioperative contexts, with limited attention to open, high-density, multi-agent acute care systems.
Objective:
To conceptualize auditory input as a dynamic environmental variable within the ED viewed as a Complex Adaptive System (CAS), integrating neurobiological mechanisms with systems-level implications.
Methods/Conceptual Approach: Narrative conceptual synthesis integrating neurobiology of auditory processing, affective neuroscience, cognitive load theory, and complexity science.
Results:
Conceptual Insights: Auditory stimuli engage distributed neural networks including auditory cortex, limbic structures, dopaminergic reward pathways, and autonomic regulatory systems. Effects are modulated by familiarity, preference, acoustic fidelity, and task demands. Within a CAS, auditory input may alter local agent states (staff and patients), influencing communication density, affective tone, and system stability.
Conclusion:
Auditory environments in the ED warrant reframing as active system variables rather than passive background features. Phase-dependent effects should be empirically examined.