Nursing Perspectives on Alarm Fatigue: An Integrative Review

Alarm fatigue, defined as the desensitization of clinicians to frequent, primarily non-actionable alarms, presents a critical challenge in healthcare settings. Frequent non-actionable alarms lead to alarm fatigue, which jeopardizes patient safety and adversely impacts the well-being of healthcare staff, particularly nurses. The aim of this integrative review was to synthesize nurses' perspectives and experiences regarding alarm fatigue, identify prevailing challenges, and outline potential mitigation strategies. Peer-reviewed English-language primary studies that examined alarm fatigue from the perspective of nurses' perceptions/experiences or alarm-management interventions were eligible. Unpublished manuscripts, conference proceedings, reviews, editorials, and opinion pieces were excluded. A search was conducted across four databases from 2014 to 2024. After screening, 36 studies were included. The review followed the Whittemore and Knafl integrative review methodology and is reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA). The review highlighted that while nurses recognize the critical role of alarms, alarm fatigue leads to negative attitudes and perceptions. Strategies to mitigate alarm fatigue require a multifaceted approach that includes technological advancements, educational initiatives, standardized policies, and organizational improvements.