Table 2.
Clinical perceptions related to electrocardiographic alarms (N=1019).
| Dimension and item | Scores, mean (SD) | “Agree” or “strongly agree,” n (%) | |||
| Dimension I: nuisance alarms | |||||
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2.1 Nuisance alarms occur frequently | 3.00 (1.12) | 391 (38.37) | ||
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2.2 Nuisance alarms disrupt patient care | 3.11 (1.15) | 513 (50.34) | ||
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2.3 Nuisance alarms reduce trust in alarms and cause caregivers to inappropriately turn alarms off at times other than setup or procedural events | 2.32 (1.19) | 230 (22.57) | ||
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Mean score for each item in dimension I | 2.81 (0.90) | —a | ||
| Dimension II: experience of alarm systems | |||||
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2.5 Properly setting alarm parameters and alerts is overly complex in existing devices | 2.53 (1.03) | 221 (21.69) | ||
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2.6 Newer monitoring systems have solved most of the previous problems we experienced with clinical alarms | 2.49 (0.93) | 570 (55.94) | ||
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2.7 The alarms used on my floor/area of the hospital are adequate to alert staff of potential or actual changes in a patient’s condition | 2.05 (0.80) | 827 (81.16) | ||
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2.8 There have been frequent instances where alarms could not be heard and were missed | 2.21 (0.97) | 134 (13.15) | ||
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2.9 Clinical staff is sensitive to alarms and responds quickly | 1.80 (0.66) | 933 (91.56) | ||
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2.10 When a number of devices are used with a patient, it can be confusing to determine which device is in an alarm condition | 2.53 (1.15) | 274 (26.89) | ||
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2.11 Environmental background noise has interfered with alarm recognition | 2.85 (1.15) | 400 (39.25) | ||
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Mean score for each item in dimension II | 2.35 (0.58) | — | ||
| Dimension III: alarm notification | |||||
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2.14 Alarm integration and communication systems are useful for improving alarm management and response | 3.89 (0.77) | 758 (74.39) | ||
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2.16 Central alarm management staff responsible for receiving alarm messages and alerting appropriate staff is helpful | 3.85 (0.83) | 730 (71.64) | ||
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Mean score for each item in dimension III | 3.87 (0.69) | — | ||
| Dimension IV: smart alarms | |||||
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2.19 Smart alarms would be effective to use for reducing false alarms | 3.75 (0.79) | 648 (63.59) | ||
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2.20 Smart alarms would be effective to use for improving clinical response to important patient alarms | 3.83 (0.76) | 711 (69.77) | ||
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Mean score for each item in dimension IV | 3.89 (0.73) | — | ||
| Dimension V: hospital policies and procedures | |||||
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2.24 Clinical policies and procedures regarding alarm management are effectively used in my facility | 3.79 (0.81) | 699 (68.60) | ||
| Dimension VII: alarm-related adverse events | |||||
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2.30 Since the implementation of the 2019 Patient Safety Goals issued by the Chinese Hospital Association regarding the alarm management program, your hospital has experienced a decrease in the occurrence of adverse events related to alarms | 3.77 (0.75) | 640 (62.81) | ||
aNot applicable.