Tag: alarm fatigue

Recent Death of 17-Year Old From Unmonitored Tonsillectomy Should Never Have Happened

In Willow Grove, PA, 17-year old Mariah Edwards went into a surgical center to remove her tonsils and died.

ABC News recently reported that the outpatient tonsillectomy was a success. Following the procedure she was moved to a recovery room. In the lawsuit filed on behalf of the Edwards family, it provides that nurses administered a dose of the painkiller fentanyl, a potent, synthetic narcotic analgesic with a rapid onset and short duration of action. Continue reading “Recent Death of 17-Year Old From Unmonitored Tonsillectomy Should Never Have Happened” →

Three Tips For Decreasing Alarm Fatigue

Editor’s note – This article, “Three Tips For Decreasing Alarm Fatigue” is reprinted with the permission of Internal Medicine News and Hospitalist News, which publishes “news and views that matter to physicians”.

by Michael Wong, JD (Founder and Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety)

When patient monitor alarms sound too many times, this can discourage using the very monitors that are intended to keep patients safe and inform clinicians of a patient’s physiological state. However, research shows that using “smart alarm” technology and getting smart about alarm monitors can reduce clinically insignificant alarms. Continue reading “Three Tips For Decreasing Alarm Fatigue” →

Four Technology Recommendations to Reduce Alarm Fatigue

This article is reprinted with the permission of Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare (PSQH).  Improving patient safety is one of the most urgent issues facing healthcare today. PSQH is written for and by people who are involved directly in improving patient safety and the quality of care.

According to ECRI Institute, an independent, nonprofit organization that researches the best approaches to improving the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of patient care, alarm hazards are the number-one health technology hazard for 2013. Continue reading “Four Technology Recommendations to Reduce Alarm Fatigue” →