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Alarm Fatigue and Professional Quality of Life Among Nursing Staff in Intensive Care Settings in Jordan: A
Wa'ed Suhail Mohammad Ibrahim1, Hamza Alduraidi2, Abeer Shaheen2
1Master of Public Health, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
Background:
Alarm fatigue occurs when nursing staff are exposed to clinically excessive false alarms, leading to sensory overload and desensitization. It is a global occupational health concern in intensive care settings, with numerous studies investigating this complex phenomenon.
Aim:
To investigate the levels of alarm fatigue, its determinants and its association with professional quality of life among nurses in intensive care settings in Amman, Jordan.
Study Design:
A cross-sectional descriptive quantitative study was conducted. All nurses were recruited from eight hospitals in Amman, Jordan, representing public, educational and private sectors. Data were collected using alarm fatigue and professional quality of life questionnaires. The data were analysed using chi-squared, one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis and multiple linear regression.
Results:
In total, 250 nurses were recruited. Overall, 59.2% of nurses reported moderate alarm fatigue, and 28.8% reported severe alarm fatigue. Burnout and secondary traumatic stress were significantly associated with alarm fatigue (p < 0.001). Five factors (shift type, hospital sector, burnout, secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction) explained 16.5% of the variance in alarm fatigue scores. Compassion satisfaction was not significantly associated with alarm fatigue, suggesting that nurses may retain professional fulfillment despite high alarm exposure. Shift type (p = 0.031) and hospital sector (p = 0.042) were significantly associated with alarm fatigue. Intensive care nurses working on ABC shift patterns and in the public sector experienced high levels of alarm fatigue.
Conclusions:
The findings highlight the necessity of nursing administrators to develop alarm management policies and training courses for intensive care nurses. Nursing education policymakers should incorporate alarm fatigue and burnout concepts into nursing curricula.
Relevance To Clinical Practice:
This study reveals how alarm fatigue adversely affects nurses' professional quality of life in intensive care settings. It provides evidence for targeted interventions to reduce alarm fatigue and improve nurse well-being.
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