Aykut Zuleyha, Yavuz van Giersbergen Meryem
Surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University, Bandırma, Balıkesir, Turkey.
Surgical Nursing Department, Ege University Faculty of Nursing, Izmir, Turkey.
J Clin Nurs. 2025 Jul 8. doi: 10.1111/jocn.70036.
Alarm fatigue has the potential to have significant consequences for patient safety, and the critical role of intensive care nurses in alarm management is an important component of this process.
This study aimed to investigate the alarm management practices of intensive care nurses.
This study utilised an observational design.
The study was conducted in the intensive care unit of a university hospital in western Türkiye with 21 nurses. To avoid influencing their behaviour, the primary purpose of the observation was not disclosed to the nurses. Two observers used an observation form to record alarms, nurse interventions and intervention times. Environmental noise levels were also measured and recorded during the observation periods.
Over 118 h of observation, 460 alarms were recorded. Most alarms (80.4%) were generated by monitors, and 36.3% were due to deviations in the patient's clinical status. It was found that 53.3% of alarms were not responded to, and 73.7% were controlled. Environmental noise levels ranged from 41.90 to 83.10 dB.
The control, intervention and response times to alarms by intensive care nurses varied based on the alarm cause and their workload at the time. High environmental noise levels were also observed, which may impact alarm response.
The centralised location of the nurses' station, preparation of treatments at the bedside and proximity to patients contribute positively to alarm management. Recommendations to reduce technical alarms include appropriate device calibration; secure technical connections; and appropriate use of ECG electrodes, sensors and medical supplies. Setting appropriate alarm limits by primary nurses and evaluating ICU noise levels for necessary adjustments are crucial.
The study was reported in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklists.
No patient or public contribution.
警报疲劳可能对患者安全产生重大影响，重症监护护士在警报管理中的关键作用是这一过程的重要组成部分。
本研究旨在调查重症监护护士的警报管理实践。
本研究采用观察性设计。
该研究在土耳其西部一家大学医院的重症监护病房进行，有21名护士参与。为避免影响他们的行为，未向护士透露观察的主要目的。两名观察者使用观察表记录警报、护士干预措施及干预时间。观察期间还测量并记录了环境噪音水平。
在超过118小时的观察中，共记录到460次警报。大多数警报（80.4%）由监测仪发出，36.3%是由于患者临床状态偏差。发现53.3%的警报未得到响应，73.7%的警报得到了控制。环境噪音水平在41.90至83.10分贝之间。
重症监护护士对警报的控制、干预和响应时间因警报原因及其当时的工作量而异。还观察到较高的环境噪音水平，这可能会影响警报响应。
护士站的集中位置、床边治疗准备以及靠近患者对警报管理有积极作用。减少技术警报的建议包括适当校准设备；确保技术连接安全；正确使用心电图电极、传感器和医疗用品。责任护士设定适当的警报限值并评估重症监护病房的噪音水平以进行必要调整至关重要。
本研究按照加强流行病学观察性研究报告（STROBE）清单进行报告。
无患者或公众参与。
