title: Clinical Trial of an Educational Program to Decrease Monitor Alarms in a Medical Intensive Care Unit.
abstract: Clinical research to identify effective interventions for decreasing nonactionable alarms has been limited. The objective of this study was to determine if a staff educational program on customizing alarm settings on bedside monitors decreased alarms in a medical intensive care unit (MICU). A preintervention, postintervention, nonequivalent group design was used to evaluate an educational program on alarm management in a convenience sample of MICU nurses. A 15-minute session was provided in a 1-week period. The outcome variable (number of alarms for low oxygen saturation via pulse oximetry [SpO2]) was determined from monitor log files adjusted by patient census. Data were collected for 15 days before and after the intervention. χ2analysis was used, with P less than .05 considered significant. After 1 week of education, low SpO2alarms decreased from 502 to 306 alarms per patient monitored per day, a 39% reduction (P < .001). Instructions for nurses in the medical intensive care unit on individualizing alarm settings to patients' clinical condition decreased common monitor alarms by 39%.
authors.affiliation: Arian Brantley is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Sandra Collins-Brown is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Jasmine Kirkland is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Meghan Knapp is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Jackie Pressley is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Melinda Higgins is Associate Research Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. James P. McMurtry is Clinical Nurse Specialist, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, 550 Peachtree St, NE, Atlanta GA 30308 (james.mcmurtry@emoryhealthcare.org).
authors.forename: Arian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brantley
authors.affiliation: Arian Brantley is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Sandra Collins-Brown is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Jasmine Kirkland is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Meghan Knapp is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Jackie Pressley is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Melinda Higgins is Associate Research Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. James P. McMurtry is Clinical Nurse Specialist, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, 550 Peachtree St, NE, Atlanta GA 30308 (james.mcmurtry@emoryhealthcare.org).
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Collins-Brown
authors.affiliation: Arian Brantley is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Sandra Collins-Brown is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Jasmine Kirkland is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Meghan Knapp is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Jackie Pressley is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Melinda Higgins is Associate Research Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. James P. McMurtry is Clinical Nurse Specialist, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, 550 Peachtree St, NE, Atlanta GA 30308 (james.mcmurtry@emoryhealthcare.org).
authors.forename: Jasmine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kirkland
authors.affiliation: Arian Brantley is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Sandra Collins-Brown is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Jasmine Kirkland is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Meghan Knapp is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Jackie Pressley is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Melinda Higgins is Associate Research Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. James P. McMurtry is Clinical Nurse Specialist, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, 550 Peachtree St, NE, Atlanta GA 30308 (james.mcmurtry@emoryhealthcare.org).
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.affiliation: Arian Brantley is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Sandra Collins-Brown is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Jasmine Kirkland is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Meghan Knapp is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Jackie Pressley is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Melinda Higgins is Associate Research Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. James P. McMurtry is Clinical Nurse Specialist, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, 550 Peachtree St, NE, Atlanta GA 30308 (james.mcmurtry@emoryhealthcare.org).
authors.forename: Jackie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pressley
authors.affiliation: Arian Brantley is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Sandra Collins-Brown is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Jasmine Kirkland is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Meghan Knapp is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Jackie Pressley is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Melinda Higgins is Associate Research Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. James P. McMurtry is Clinical Nurse Specialist, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, 550 Peachtree St, NE, Atlanta GA 30308 (james.mcmurtry@emoryhealthcare.org).
authors.forename: Melinda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.affiliation: Arian Brantley is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Sandra Collins-Brown is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Jasmine Kirkland is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Meghan Knapp is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Jackie Pressley is Staff Nurse, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia. Melinda Higgins is Associate Research Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. James P. McMurtry is Clinical Nurse Specialist, 71 Intensive Care Unit, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta, 550 Peachtree St, NE, Atlanta GA 30308 (james.mcmurtry@emoryhealthcare.org).
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: McMurtry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056902:Clinical Alarms; D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D064648:Critical Care Nursing / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000451:nursing*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education*
keywords: alarm avoidance; alarm fatigue; false alarms; nonactionable alarms; nuisance alarms