Reducing stress in the intensive care unit: Integrating mind-body values with modern technology

In response to the question "If you were in a hospital, would you prefer a traditional audible alarm system [described as creating noises, overhead pages, and emergency alarms for Code Blues] or a new quiet alarm system [described as silently sending vital information to a main control station located in the center of the floor, providing visual and auditory information to health care providers that would remain active until the problem was corrected at the bedside]?" -91% of a sample of 181 subjects indicated they would prefer the quiet alarm system. Subjects indicated that they believed the quiet alarm system would be less stressful, would facilitate healing of the patient, and would be less stressful to health-care professionals as well. Integrating the vision and values of mind-body medicine with modern technology that reduces stress generated by a hospital's physical environment could be a component of one medicine.