Alarm Fatigue in Ventilator Unit

The Joint Commission’s (TJC) National Patient Safety Goals for hospital programs trigger most of the EBP practice changes in the healthcare settings. These goals are changing over time due to the recognition of the emerging healthcare-based problems. The healthcare facilities are also motivated to address the TJC problems as a way of maintaining the required levels of accreditation. The current problem that most healthcare facilities should be addressing is alarm fatigue and alert systems management. The frequent ventilator alarms are often considered to desensitize healthcare providers, where the alarms can blend in with the other accustomed sounds in the intensive care unit. Continuous exposure to the ventilator alarms that go unnoticed for extended periods can cause permanent patient harm and the consequent death. It is imperative that healthcare providers take the role of silencing the ventilator alarms without notifying the other healthcare team members, leading to sentinel events.

The background question for this analysis states that “what are the best interventions for alarm fatigue management?” In response to the background question provided, it is imperative that all medical devices should be embedded with algorithms that are artifact tolerant as a way of providing automated corrections. A one-size fits all alarm policy such as the use of algorithms that are artifact tolerant can help in promoting patient safety. This implies that nurses should receive education about alarm fatigue related to the telemetry parameters as a way of increasing their levels of awareness and the ability of adjusting the telemetry parameters using applicable parameters. On the other hand, the foreground question for this analysis states that “Do nurses on 4K that have education on alarm fatigue related to telemetry parameters have an increased level of awareness and ability to adjust telemetry parameters as compared to the nurses that have not received this education?”