There has been growing concern regarding the incidence of adverse events associated with clinical alarm systems and alarm fatigue. In fact, a recent analysis by the Boston Globe revealed 119 patient deaths were linked to ventilator alarm errors alone from 2005-May 2011.
Here are 10 actions healthcare providers can take now to improve the condition of alarm systems in their healthcare organizations, according to the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation.
1. Gain cross-disciplinary leadership support.
2. Establish a cross-functional team with clinical leadership to address alarm fatigue across all environments of care.
3. Re-establish priorities. Processes should drive technology adoption rather than allowing technology to drive the process.
4. Develop a continuous improvement process for constantly optimizing alarm system policies and configurations.
5. Conduct clinical testing and analyze alarm data to implement optimized alarm limits and delays (both alarm condition and alarm signal generation delays) and to reduce clinically non-actionable alarm conditions.
6. Test acoustics on clinical floors. Environmental noise impacts patient and staff well-being and patient safety.
7. Implement an alarm system configuration policy based on clinical evidence.
8. Change single-use sensors more frequently to reduce nuisance alarm conditions (except in pediatric units).
9. Mandate alarm system management training for all clinical operators.
10. Share experiences so everyone can benefit from your efforts in a cross-disciplinary way.
Here are 10 actions healthcare providers can take now to improve the condition of alarm systems in their healthcare organizations, according to the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation.
1. Gain cross-disciplinary leadership support.
2. Establish a cross-functional team with clinical leadership to address alarm fatigue across all environments of care.
3. Re-establish priorities. Processes should drive technology adoption rather than allowing technology to drive the process.
4. Develop a continuous improvement process for constantly optimizing alarm system policies and configurations.
5. Conduct clinical testing and analyze alarm data to implement optimized alarm limits and delays (both alarm condition and alarm signal generation delays) and to reduce clinically non-actionable alarm conditions.
6. Test acoustics on clinical floors. Environmental noise impacts patient and staff well-being and patient safety.
7. Implement an alarm system configuration policy based on clinical evidence.
8. Change single-use sensors more frequently to reduce nuisance alarm conditions (except in pediatric units).
9. Mandate alarm system management training for all clinical operators.
10. Share experiences so everyone can benefit from your efforts in a cross-disciplinary way.