Alarm fatigue: a patient safety concern.

@article{Sendelbach2013AlarmFA,
  title={Alarm fatigue: a patient safety concern.},
  author={Sue E Sendelbach and Marjorie Funk},
  journal={AACN advanced critical care},
  year={2013},
  volume={24 4},
  pages={
          378-86; quiz 387-8
        }
}
Research has demonstrated that 72% to 99% of clinical alarms are false. The high number of false alarms has led to alarm fatigue. Alarm fatigue is sensory overload when clinicians are exposed to an excessive number of alarms, which can result in desensitization to alarms and missed alarms. Patient deaths have been attributed to alarm fatigue. Patient safety and regulatory agencies have focused on the issue of alarm fatigue, and it is a 2014 Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goal. Quality… Expand
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228 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
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Background Citations
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Methods Citations
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228 Citations

Citation Type

Citation Type

Alarm Fatigue 13-1 13 . Alarm Fatigue
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Targeted quality improvement initiatives and staff training are the best approaches to address key barriers to the optimal utilization of clinical alarms, AF reduction, better patient care, and improved provider job satisfaction. Expand
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The results show that monitoring equipment is instrumental in alerting staff in a long-term care unit to serious changes in patients’ condition and in preventing false positives and false negatives. Expand
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Hospital alarms today indicate urgent clinical need, but they are seldom “true.” False alarms are contributing to the ever-increasing issue of alarm fatigue, or desensitization, among doctors and… Expand
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TLDR
The results show that in general, performance deterioration is actually influenced by a combination of alarm fatigue, working conditions and staff individuality, which suggests that the role of alarms fatigue as a health hazard in the clinical environment should be reevaluated. Expand
Reasoning about Who to Notify to avoid Alarm Fatigue: Algorithm Development and Validation (Preprint)
BACKGROUND Alarm Fatigue is a scenario experienced by an overwhelmed and fatigued healthcare team that is desensitized and slow to respond to alarms. The most common alarm-related issues that may… Expand
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