CHG Hospital Beds Commitment to Addressing Alarm Fatigue
CHG Hospital Beds offers hospitals help in reducing alarm fatigue with the Spirit Select low hospital bed.
A typical 15-bed unit experiences an average of 942 alarms a day, with one critical alarm sounding every 90 seconds. Many medical devices rely on these alarms to help protect patients and to notify nurses of changes in a patient's condition. However, these life-saving alarms may also contribute to adverse events when improperly used or forgotten by staff. Alarm hazards were ranked as the number one health technology hazard of 2012 by the ECRI Institute. Between January 2005 and June 2010, over 200 patient deaths have been linked to medical device alarms in the United States due to alarm hazards.
According to ECRI, alarm-related adverse events may result from a number of factors, including:
- Alarm fatigue
- Staff are overwhelmed by the volume of alarms, resulting in desensitization and missed alarms, or delayed alarm response
- Staff are unable to distinguish where the alarm is originating from
- Alarm volume has been turned down, or is similar to other devices
- Alarm is not being restored to the active setting
- Alarm remains on stand-by and is not reset to monitor patient activity
- Alarm is not signaling the proper personnel
- The alarm is not being relayed to the nursing station and is failing to notify staff of a change in a patient's condition
Our Spirit Select bed is equipped with a Bed-Exit Alarm Fatigue Prevention System, designed to reduce hospital bed associated alarm hazards and improve patient safety. We offer:
- Customizable settings
- Reduces alarm desensitization
- No more false alarms
- Automatically restores settings for busy staff
- Staff training on Alarm Fatigue Prevention
- Bed-Exit Alarm guide with patient protocols
