Sendelbach, S., & Funk, M. (2013). Alarm Fatigue A Patient Safety Concern. AACN advanced critical care, 24(4), 378-386.
The article explains how alarm fatigue occurs. It points out that alarm fatigue occurs when the sheer number of alarm signals overwhelms the nurses resulting in alarm desensitization. The overwhelming leads to either delayed response to the alarms or missed alarms in other cases. The article also points out that more than 85% of alarms in hospitals are false and this calls the people concerned to address the issue. The challenge has forced the nurses to ignore the alarm signals, turn down the volume of clear ones, or even deactivate of the alarm signals. This behavior of nurses towards alarms has led to disastrous conditions such as patient deaths. The article is also beneficial because it explains some of the interventions which need consideration in reducing alarm fatigue. These methods include ECG electrodes, human factors, individualizing alarm parameters, inter-professional teams, and measurement.
Kinghorn, K. A. (2015). Addressing the Problem of Alarm Fatigue: Enhancing Patient Safety through Cardiac Alarm Customization.
The article is relevant because it addresses some of the ways of reducing alarm fatigue. Alarm fatigue needs to be addressed with immediate effect because the article reports that alarms interrupt the proper working of registered nurses (RNs) which forces some nurses to customize the signals. Some of the problems associated with alarms include inappropriate user settings and algorithm deficiencies. The article also points out that nonactionable alarms lead to unsafe practices which makes the nurses become slower in responding to the alarms as the alerts increase. The publication is also essential because it helps the reader to point out some of the ways which can be used to reduce audible alarms, without interfering with the safety of the patients. The methods include the elimination of the use of self-resetting alarms for tachycardia and bradycardia. Moreover, there is a need of changing the HR limits set by the manufacturer to match the population of the patients better. The process may result in a reduction of the average number of alarms per week and improves patient and staff motivation hence reducing alarm fatigue.
