In a survey of 20 hospitals, all but one hospital reported that the constant alarms of hospital technology are a potential threat to patient safety, according to an article on the Fast Company website.

When alarms are sounding for minor, non-emergency issues healthcare providers can become desensitized. The added stress of the hospital’s noise can also make sick people sicker.

A new system monitors patients’ vital signs, like heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen saturation, with pleasant-sounding melodies instead of alarms. 

To untrained ears, Man Made Music’s system sounds like the kind of ambient noise or peaceful muzak you’d hear in a spa, with a soothing low hum and bright, happy notes layered on top. But concealed within the music is a sonic data system based on two tones. A lower base tone indicates heart rate, with a higher tone representing blood oxygen saturation. The closer the interval between the two notes, the more there’s a problem with a patient’s oxygen levels. To represent blood pressure, there’s a cooing, bird-like sound that goes from low to high, the article said.

Read the article.