include closing the ward door to reduce noise from the hallway , turning down the volume on alarms and limiting conversation [ 14 ] . The author ' s practice has adopted these suggestions , in combination with the use of appropriate music .
Despite the interventions , this is an area that still requires improvement . The author intends to continue the conversation about noise during team meetings and further educational sessions .
Kennel environment
The confined enclosures / kennels in the veterinary environment limit patients ' movement , which can cause stress [ 3 ] . Although there is no evidence in the literature , the focus groups raised concerns about the disruption to the kennel environment caused by walking dogs and providing treatment in the kennel area .
Feedback suggested that ‘ treatments performed in the wards disrupt other patients ’ ( Figure 3 ) and that ‘ physiotherapy is performed in the kennel environment ’. The comments relating to walking dogs included ‘ the dogs are walked too often ’, ‘ walking dogs through the ward makes a lot of noise ’, and ‘ you should not wake a dog up to walk it ’.
The author agrees that , due to the layout of the practice ' s wards , walking dogs can cause noise and disturb other patients . The noise is generated by staff talking to patients , the patients vocalising , kennel doors opening and closing , and people walking through the wards .
The author ' s practice has addressed the issue of disruption by altering the times of walking ( Table 2 , page 24 ). The author also engaged the team in conversations to encourage treatments , including venepuncture and physiotherapy , to be performed in other clinical areas , such as quiet procedure rooms or consultation rooms .
Conclusions
The focus groups facilitated a constructive interdisciplinary conversation in the workplace . The research inspired the author , and the focus groups ensured that the challenges felt by the team and patients were central to decision-making and change .
The proposed changes to the scheduling of treatments , alongside modifications to light , noise and movement , have the potential to improve sleep quality and quantity for the dogs and cats within the author ' s practice .
Figure 3 . Treating a patient in the kennel environment can disturb other patients .
26 Veterinary Nursing Journal