Discriminating between simultaneous audible alarms is easier with auditory icons

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Human Factors Engineering
• Medical Device Safety

Background:

• Simultaneous audible alarms in clinical settings can compromise auditory discrimination.
• Existing medical device safety standards (IEC 60601-1-8) have evolved regarding alarm sound design.
• The transition from tonal alarms to auditory icons presents a critical area for safety research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of tonal clinical alarms versus auditory-icon-style alarms.
• To evaluate alarm discrimination accuracy when multiple alarms sound concurrently.
• To assess the impact of alarm style on the recognition of alarm priority and function.

Main Methods:

• A between-subjects experiment with 66 participants evaluating two alarm styles: tonal (IEC 60601-1-8:2012/2006) and auditory icon (IEC 60601-1-8:2020).
• Participants identified the meaning and priority of four distinct clinical alarms presented singly and in pairs.
• Performance metrics included overall accuracy (priority and function) and partial accuracy (priority or function).

Main Results:

• Auditory icon alarms significantly outperformed tonal alarms in accuracy for both overall and partial recognition.
• Participants demonstrated superior ability to discriminate the meaning and priority of auditory icon alarms.
• Effectiveness was measured across single and paired alarm presentations, with icons showing consistent advantages.

Conclusions:

• Auditory icon-style alarms offer enhanced performance over traditional tonal alarms in complex auditory environments.
• The findings support the adoption of auditory icon alarms for improved clinical safety and alarm management.
• This research contributes evidence for updating medical device alarm standards to prioritize user comprehension and safety.