Lai Sheung Chau
Hong Kong
Research Article
Prevalence of Alarms in Intensive Care Units, and its Relationship with Nursing Staff Levels
Author(s): Wai Keung Cheung, Lai Sheung Chau and Ien Leng Laurinda MakWai Keung Cheung, Lai Sheung Chau and Ien Leng Laurinda Mak
Background: The average number of alarms per patient on each day in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was very high with poor specificity, high sensitivity and high false positive rate. The large number of false alarms has caused healthcare professionals to turn down the volume of audible signals, adjust the alarm setting beyond limits that are safe and appropriate for the patient, and ignore or even deactivate alarms, resulting in sentinel events and patient deaths. The objectives of the present study were to examine the prevalence of ICU cardiac and technical alarms and the relationship between that prevalence and available nursing staff levels.
Methods: The study collected all cardiac and technical alarm data from the bedside physiological monitor through the central monitoring system at the nurses' station, over a five-week period. The preva.. View More»
