The GCEA / Healthcare Technology Foundation began an initiative to reduce clinical alarm hazards in 2004. The initial milestone was the completion of a white paper - Impact of Clinical Alarms on Patient Safety. This paper reviewed the literature related to the effective use of clinical alarms and analyzed adverse event databases. Efforts to improve alarms through technological, standards, and regulatory means were also assessed and evaluated. Forums, meetings, and a 2006 survey of 1,327 clinicians, engineers, technical staff, and managers were included in this seminal publication.
In 2011, a second survey on the status of the clinical alarm issue (2011 National Clinical Alarms Survey) resulted in 4278 responders - 93% clinical staff - voicing their perceptions, issues, suggested improvements, and priorities about this highly visible, complex patient safety concern. The overall results and recommendations of the survey were distributed to the attendees at the AAMI Medical Device Alarms Summit where the Healthcare Technology Foundation was a supporting organization.
The 2016 clinical alarms survey assessed the impact of the Joint Commission NPSG and other alarm hazard reduction initiatives. 1241 clinical and support staff responded to the survey. The results with a comparison between the 2006 and 2011 surveys are now available (2016 National Clinical Alarms Survey Results).
The resources below include Healthcare Technology Foundation publications discussed above and otherHealthcare Technology Foundation products along with papers and presentations from our board members, resource websites, and other studies and articles of interest on clinical alarm hazards and management.
Publications and Presentations
Healthcare Technology Foundation Publications
2016 2016 National Clinical Alarms Survey Results 2016 A Guide to Understanding Clinical Alarms - Brochure for Patients and Family 2012 AAMI Clinical Alarm Survey Summary Presentation
2011 Alarms Survey Results 2011 National Clinical Alarms Survey
Board Member Publications
2017 Clinical Alarm Safety and Respiratory Therapists 2016 Alarm Management at the University of Vermont Medical Center: Focus on Education AAMI National Alarms Coalition, Tobey Clark, MS, CCE 2015 Nurses' Perspectives on Clinical Alarms, by Linda Honan, RN, PhD, CNS-BC, Marjorie Funk, RN, PhD, Michaela Maynard, RN, MSN, MPH, Deborah Fahs, RN, DNP, FNP-BC, J. Tobey Clark, MSEE, CCE and Yadin David, EdD, CCE, AJCC, September 2015, Volume 24, No. 5 2015 WC2015 Presentation Marjorie Funk, RN, PhD, Yadin David, Tobey Clark 2015 AAMI Alarms Workshop Presentation Tobey Clark, MS, CCE 2014 Attitudes and Practices Related to Clinical Alarms by Marjorie Funk, RN, PhD, J. Tobey Clark, MSEE, CCE, Thomas J. Bauld, PhD,CCE, Jennifer C. Ott, MSBME, CCE, and Paul Coss, RN, AJCC, May 2014, Volume 23, No. 3 2013 A Work Plan for The Joint Commission Alarm National Patient Safety Goal Journal of Clinical Engineering, Volume 39 & Number 1 & January/March 2014, William A. Hyman, ScD 2012 Responsibilities of Industry and Setting Standards American Heart Association, Nov. 2012, Tobey Clark, MS, CCE 2012 CVS.411 Cardiac Monitoring & Alarm Fatigue - Toward a Possible Solution: Are We Over-monitoring by Marge Funk, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN 2012 Why Clinical Alarms are a "TOP TEN" Hazard by James P. Keller, Jr., M.S. 2012 NPSF Clinical Alarm Fatigue Webcast Slides co-presenter Marjorie Funk, RN, PhD 2012 AAMI: Alarm management survey shows little progress in last six years, Clinical Innovation & Technology, June 2012 (Interview) 2012 National Clinical Alarms Surveys - 5 years Comparison of Issues, Improvements and Priorities, WC2012/IFMBE Proceedings Paper, Yadin David, EdD, CCE, PE, HCSP and Tobey Clark, MS, CCE 2012 Alarm Fatigue, Cuidado, January, William A. Hyman, ScD 2008 Fault Tree Analysis of Clinical Alarms, Journal of Clinical Engineering, April/June, William A. Hyman, ScD 2008 Alarms and Nurse to Patient Ratios, American Journal of Critical Care, March, Denise Korniewicz, RN, PhD, Tobey Clark, MS, CCE 2008 National Online Survey on the Effectiveness of Clinical Alarms, American Journal of Critical Care, January, Effectiveness of Clinical Alarms. Denise Korniewicz, RN, PhD, Tobey Clark, MS, CCE and Yadin David, EdD, CCE, PE, HCSP
Resources
AAMI Foundation Healthcare Technology Safety Institute - Clinical Alarms Development of a Clinical Alarm Policy VHA Patient Safety Assessment Tool (PSAT) NTI Action Pak: Strategies for Managing Alarm Fatigue Joint Commission R3 Report Issue 5 - Alarm System Safety ECRI Institute Alarm Safety Resource Site AAMI Hot Topics Alarm Systems Hospitals Mobilize to Tackle Alarm Fatigue
Archive
2007 National Patient Safety Foundation Clinical Alarms Poster 2007 National Patient Safety Foundation Clinical Alarms Poster Abstract
2006 Clinical Alarms White Paper PDF 2007 Impact of Clinical Alarms on Patient Safety, Journal of Clinical Engineering, January/March 2006 Impact of Clinical Alarms on Patient Safety 2006 Alarm Call for Action ï¿¿ What You Can Do 2005-2006 Presentations and publications 2004-2007 Task force members 2005 Organizations Contributing to the Survey Design and/or Distribution 2005 Bibliography 2004 Development of the Initiative