Impact of clinical alarms on patient safety from nurses’ perspective

• Published in: Informatics in Medicine Unlocked
• Main Authors: Sarah Alsuyayfi, Abdullah Alanazi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2022-01-01
• Subjects: Clinical alarms; Patient safety; Alarm fatigue; True alarms; False alarms
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352914822001873

Introduction: Technology has been tremendously helpful for healthcare professionals in various ways, such as vital signs monitoring, medication administration, and ventilation. However, with the proliferation of technology and sensors, nurses are facing unintended consequences caused by alarm fatigue. Hence, this study aimed to examine the impact of alarm fatigue and its implications on patient safety from nurses’ perspective. Method: This quantitative study measured the impact of alarm fatigue on patient safety by conducting the Healthcare Technology Foundation (HTF) clinical alarm survey among clinical nurses. Results: This study was participated by 348 nurses from various specialties, including medical surgery, emergency department, and intensive care unit. We found that 55%, 65.3%, and 65% of the participants agreed that the alarm was frequent, that the disruptive alarms can affect patient care, and that the disruptive alarms could affect the nurses' confidence in the alarm system, respectively. Apparently, the alarm system was deemed to be satisfactory in general. However, 44% agreed that adverse patient events occur because of alarm fatigue, although 67.2% believed that integrating clinical alarms into the nurses’ workplace can reduce these events. Conclusion: Alarm fatigue can negatively affect patient safety and lead to life-threatening conditions. Healthcare facilities need to further develop proper policies, procedures, guidelines, and appropriate training to adjust monitor parameters specifically to the patient's condition to prevent adverse events and ensure patient safety.