Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 8, 2025

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance
Published on: July 19, 2017
Does alarm fatigue start in nursing school?
Karen Weeks1, Joan Timalonis, Laureen Donovan
1Karen Weeks is a nursing instructor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.; Joan Timalonis is an adjunct professor at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pa., and a part-time nursing instructor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., and the Pennsylvania State University, Lehigh Valley in Allentown, Pa.; and Laureen Donovan is an assistant professor at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W.Va.
Purpose:
Alarm fatigue among working nurses is a well-documented, high-priority safety issue. This article describes a study to learn whether alarm fatigue develops in undergraduate nursing student populations.
Methods:
This longitudinal quantitative study employed survey data from a single cohort of nursing students in the Southeastern US over a period of 18 months to assess nursing students' level of sensitivity to alarms, including the call bell, bathroom, fall and safety, I.V. infusion pumps, and telemetry alarms.
Results:
These data were significant for I.V. infusion pump alarms and indicated a general decrease in sensitivity over an 18-month period. Nursing students with previous healthcare experience also noted decreased sensitivity to bathroom call bells and fall and safety alarms.
Conclusion:
Alarm fatigue was recognized among the surveyed nursing students. Nurse educators also identified a performance-based strategy to increase student awareness of alarm fatigue and evidence-based strategies to minimize desensitization to alarms in both education and practice.
Related Concept Videos
Dysrhythmias VII: Nursing Management of Dysrhythmias
Nursing Assessment
The nurse collects all aspects of the patient's health in the initial assessment, establishing priorities for ongoing focused assessments...
Current Trends in Nursing I
Acute Coronary Syndrome V: Nursing Management
Angina V: Nursing Management
Planning Nursing Care I

