Quiet Time: Rest as Medicine in an Acute Care and Community Setting

This paper discusses implementation of a ninety-minute “quiet time” initiative on a medical intensive care unit (MICU) and in a community family waiting room that nourishes staff, patients, and families. Healthcare settings are notorious stress-inducing environments. Using Jean Watson’s (2008) Theory of Caring Science as a framework for reclaiming the art of nursing, Quiet Time: Rest as Medicine illustrates a return to the art of healing. A comprehensive literature review examines the current evidence-based practice on the benefits of noise reduction, the well-documented psychological and physiological damage caused by the chaos of a hospital environment, and the equally well-documented benefits of quiet on healing. Through the Quiet Time: Rest as Medicine project, new emphasis is placed on a serene, restful environment. A variety of techniques are used, including dim lighting through the unit and waiting room during designated rest times, new signage encouraging “rest as medicine,” educational pamphlets highlighting Watson’s Caritas wisdom for self-care and stress reduction strategies, and minimizing alarms and disruptions. Results gathered through a survey following implementation measure patient, family, and staff satisfaction related to noise disturbances and reduced fatigue. Findings are made available to enhance quiet, healing environments in primary, community, rural, and acute care settings