Siobhán Casey1, Gloria Avalos2, Maura Dowling3. 1. Intensive Care Unit, Galway University Hospital, Galway, Ireland. Electronic address: siobhan.casey@outlook.ie. 2. School of Medicine, Medical Informatics and Medical Education, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland. Electronic address: Gloria.avalos@nuigalway.ie. 3. School of Nursing and Midwifery, National University of Ireland, Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland. Electronic address: Maura.dowling@nuigalway.ie.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine critical care nurses' knowledge of alarm fatigue and practices toward alarms in critical care settings. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY/ DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey using an adaptation of The Health Technology Foundation Clinical Alarms Survey. SETTING: A sample of critical care nurses (n = 250) from 10 departments across six hospitals in Ireland. RESULTS: A response rate of 66% (n = 166) was achieved. All hospital sites reported patient adverse events related to clinical alarms. The majority of nurses (52%, n = 86) did not know or were unsure, how to prevent alarm fatigue. Most nurses (90%, n = 148) agreed that non-actionable alarms occurred frequently, disrupted patient care (91%, n = 145) and reduced trust in alarms prompting nurses to sometimes disable alarms (81%, n = 132). Nurses claiming to know how to prevent alarm fatigue stated they customised patient alarm parameters frequently (p = 0.037). Frequent false alarms causing reduced attention or response to alarms ranked the number one obstacle to effective alarm management; this was followed by inadequate staff to respond to alarms. Only 31% (n = 50) believed that alarm management policies and procedures were used effectively. CONCLUSION: Alarm fatigue has the potential for serious consequences for patient safety and answering numerous alarms drains nursing resources.
OBJECTIVES: To determine critical care nurses' knowledge of alarm fatigue and practices toward alarms in critical care settings. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY/ DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey using an adaptation of The Health Technology Foundation Clinical Alarms Survey. SETTING: A sample of critical care nurses (n = 250) from 10 departments across six hospitals in Ireland. RESULTS: A response rate of 66% (n = 166) was achieved. All hospital sites reported patient adverse events related to clinical alarms. The majority of nurses (52%, n = 86) did not know or were unsure, how to prevent alarm fatigue. Most nurses (90%, n = 148) agreed that non-actionable alarms occurred frequently, disrupted patient care (91%, n = 145) and reduced trust in alarms prompting nurses to sometimes disable alarms (81%, n = 132). Nurses claiming to know how to prevent alarm fatigue stated they customised patient alarm parameters frequently (p = 0.037). Frequent false alarms causing reduced attention or response to alarms ranked the number one obstacle to effective alarm management; this was followed by inadequate staff to respond to alarms. Only 31% (n = 50) believed that alarm management policies and procedures were used effectively. CONCLUSION: Alarm fatigue has the potential for serious consequences for patient safety and answering numerous alarms drains nursing resources.
Authors: Gabriele Varisco; Heidi van de Mortel; Laura Cabrera-Quiros; Louis Atallah; Dirk Hueske-Kraus; Xi Long; Eduardus Je Cottaar; Zhuozhao Zhan; Peter Andriessen; Carola van Pul Journal: Acta Paediatr Date: 2020-10-22 Impact factor: 2.299
Authors: Katarzyna Lewandowska; Magdalena Weisbrot; Aleksandra Cieloszyk; Wioletta Mędrzycka-Dąbrowska; Sabina Krupa; Dorota Ozga Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-11-13 Impact factor: 3.390