Alarm Management Practices Among Intensive Care Nurses: An Observational Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Alarm fatigue poses significant risks to patient safety in intensive care units (ICUs).
• Effective alarm management by intensive care nurses is crucial for mitigating these risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the alarm management practices of intensive care nurses.
• To identify factors influencing alarm response and control.

Main Methods:

• Observational study design in a university hospital ICU in Türkiye.
• 21 nurses observed over 118 hours, recording alarms, interventions, and times.
• Environmental noise levels were measured concurrently.

Main Results:

• 460 alarms recorded; 80.4% from monitors, 36.3% due to clinical deviations.
• 53.3% of alarms were not responded to; 73.7% were controlled.
• Environmental noise levels varied significantly (41.90–83.10 dB).

Conclusions:

• Alarm response and control times varied based on alarm cause and nurse workload.
• High environmental noise levels may negatively impact alarm response.
• Recommendations include technical alarm reduction, appropriate alarm limit setting, and noise level evaluation.