"El Jardín Sonoro" at Vall d'Hebron Hospital

Origins of the Project

The idea was born during the height of the pandemic after initial contact with Vall d’Hebron’s Citizen Attention team. The content creativity was provided by "La Huella" team, while Ecler contributed the audio playback systems. Access to the soundscapes was made available starting in June 2021 in an emergency unit at the General Hospital, and in December 2021 in a radiology unit for traumatology.

From the beginning of the exposure period until May 2022—when a primary survey was conducted—patients were divided into two groups: one exposed to the sound and one without. Both groups were asked about their age, gender, and anxiety levels using the STAI scale (*).

The exposed group was also asked about their waiting time, occupation, their rating of the experience, the comfort effect, perceived sound levels, and a qualitative assessment of the perceived auditory effects. Later, in mid-2022, a second survey (with no exposure to the soundscapes) was conducted in the same units to assess the willingness to listen to nature sounds.

Non-statistically significant differences were observed when comparing anxiety levels and willingness based on gender and age, particularly among women and younger people. This suggests that units like breast pathology or gynecology are especially suitable for implementing the system.

Since the end of 2022, the Citizen Attention and Participation department has led the project. "El Jardín Sonoro" can now be heard in the waiting rooms of Gynecology, Women's Radiology, the Breast Pathology Unit at the Women's Hospital, in Diagnostic Imaging at the Traumatology Hospital, Rehabilitation and Burn Units, and in the Specialty Emergency Department at the General Hospital. These are spaces often filled with uncertainty, where the Sound Garden brings calm and comfort.

What is "El Jardín Sonoro"?

This project creates a sound atmosphere using natural sounds—such as birdsong, ocean waves, or rain—combined with relaxing music. This helps people disconnect from the hospital environment and reduces stress and anxiety. The initiative transforms spaces that may lack architectural warmth into more natural and organic environments, helping visitors disconnect from their surroundings and creating a calm atmosphere.

"La Huella", a company specialized in audio marketing that believes in the social value of music through the creation, management, and use of content, developed the Soundscapes: natural sounds enhanced with harmonic musical impulses. These are notes and chords that, having no rhythm or melody, do not capture the listener’s attention by triggering pattern recognition, and therefore help keep anxiety levels low. They also added Organic: music made with instruments created from natural elements.

Feedback from Healthcare Professionals

The initiative has had a very positive impact. “Professionals have told us that, instead of the usual noise in the waiting rooms, users now seem more focused and attentive, listening to "El Jardín Sonoro"", says Marta Aguayo, head of the Citizen Attention Procedures Unit. Dr. Manel Escobar, clinical director of the Diagnostic Imaging Service, adds: “Patients feel comforted and experience their wait with less unease.”

The Technical Solution

Sound playback in each space is handled by an Ecler CA120HZ preamp and 8” two-way IC8 ceiling speakers, tailored to the space's functional needs. The system’s core component is the Ecler Player One, which locally plays sound content and allows for remote updates and monitoring. It also enables volume control (both remotely and locally), pre-programmed volume levels by time slots, event scheduling via calendar, cloud content synchronization (Cloud Disk Sync), and execution of scripts (user-written instruction files in Lua). It can be programmed and controlled via a front panel, embedded web app, or Ecler Gallery software.

Ecler technicians, in collaboration with Vall d’Hebron’s IT department, achieved a simple and secure integration of the system into the hospital complex’s network.

(*)
The STAI scale, or State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, is a questionnaire designed to assess two types of anxiety: state anxiety (temporary and situational) and trait anxiety (a more stable personality characteristic).