Alarms in the Emergency Department

Research in the April 2025 issue of JACEP Open, the official ACEP open access peer-reviewed journal, looks at alarms in the emergency department and their impact on clinicians.

Authors Sebastian Johansson, MSc; Erika Johannesson, MSc; Erika Hörlin, MSc; and Jens Wretborn, PhD, report that 396,011 alarms were registered during the data collection period, or one alarm every 30 seconds in the urban and academic centers and every 120 seconds in the rural hospital, on average. Median confirmation times were 11 seconds for high severity alarms (IQR, 5-33) and 132 seconds for low severity alarms (IQR, 15-878).

Technical devices are used for the continuous monitoring of patients’ vital signs (saturation, heart rate, heart rhythm, blood pressure, and respiratory rate) in modern health care systems. “Alarm Fatigue in the Emergency Department: A Multicenter, Mixed-Method Study of Monitor Alarms” explains that monitoring enables early detection of patient deterioration and the possibility for health care staff to oversee multiple patients at the same time. “However, the monitors have been shown to cause large volumes of alarms that rarely lead to an intervention. The high volume of alarms affects the workplace environment and may cause alarm fatigue when staff become tired and desensitized to alarms.”

This poses a threat to patient care, and the Joint Commission has declared alarms from patient monitoring devices a focus area to improve patient safety, the research states.

The article points out that “ED staff work in an alarm environment prone to alarm fatigue with frequent alarms and several system-related factors that increase the risk of alarm fatigue, which is mitigated by the individual health care worker.”

Briefly 

Join ACEP Council Speaker Melissa W. Costello, MD, FACEP, and ACEP Council Vice Speaker Michael J. McCrea, MD, FACEP, next month to learn about how the ACEP Council works and how even a single member can make a big impact on the policy and direction of the College. The ACEP Council is a deliberative body that meets once a year for two days in conjunction with the College’s annual Scientific Assembly. The Council votes on resolutions that guide the activities of the College. Learn how to craft your resolution and weigh in on the pressing issues in emergency medicine. This free virtual event is set for 2 p.m. (CST) on Thursday, April 10. 

https://www.acep.org/webinars 

Registration is open for ACEP’s Leadership and Advocacy Conference. Both chambers are expected to be in session April 27-29 when ACEP members and volunteers learn crucial leadership skills and advocate for the specialty. Don’t miss your chance to make a positive impact on your practice and your patients.