title: Why we do not have--and will not have--the integrated and "smart" alarm systems that technology would allow us to have today.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many authors have been advocating "smart alarm systems" for more than 30 years, and technology for such systems has been described in the literature for more than 20 years. Such systems do not exist today.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Incoming data would be analyzed to reject artifact. Multiple inputs would be used to determine alarm conditions. Information would be passed to the best person to address the problem. If the primary person failed to respond, a backup person would be notified.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  One might show a statistical improvement in patient outcome with a new system, but there would always be patients who would have had an alarm under the old system, and who did not have an alarm with the new system. Only if Congress would exempt the alarm integrators from liability, as the vaccine makers are protected, could such a system be built.
authors.affiliation: Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA. frankjr@blockzoo.com
authors.forename: Frank E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Block
mesh_terms: D001709:Biotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D056902:Clinical Alarms; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D004869:Equipment Safety; D006801:Humans; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D061214:Patient Safety; D018511:Systems Integration