Medical Device Alarm Fatigue Faulted as Hospital Hazard

Healthcare workers are turning a blind eye to medical device alarms, according to a Joint Commission Sentinel Event Alert. Overwhelmed with the constant noise of beeps and alerts, workers face "alarm fatigue" that could harm patient health and wellbeing.

If alarm systems aren't managed with proper oversight, alarms over minor issues can cause caregivers to ignore more serious alarms. According to 2005-2008 data from FDA regulators, 566 hospital deaths over a three-year period were caused by alarm-related issues. The Joint Commission's sentinel events database also showed 80 alarm-related patient deaths during this period.

Regulators urge hospital providers to ensure that there is a process for alarm management in high-risk areas. In addition, regulators instruct providers to take an inventory of all medical devices that use alarms.

Devices that use alarms should also be inspected and maintained on a regular basis to ensure that alarm trigger alerts are properly understood.

FDA regulators also urge healthcare providers to establish set guidelines for alarm settings. Since some alarm signals may not be clinically necessary, these should be disabled, giving healthcare providers the ability to concentrate on truly-important patient health issues.

The commission is seeking additional solutions for the issue of alarm fatigue. In February, a draft of alarm fatigue recommendations was field-tested and released to the public.