Nurses are among some of the most skilled and caring of all medical professionals. Not only do nurses often play an integral role in emergency rooms and surgical settings, but they are also a hospital's main caregivers and most-visible point of contact for patients. The majority of nurses are highly skilled professionals who readily rely upon years of training and experience while attending to patients.
Modern medicine and technology has greatly improved patient care and thus a nurse's ability to successfully carry out work-related duties. New information from the Joint Commission responsible for accrediting hospitals, however, shows that in some cases such technology can be distracting and even potentially result in a patient suffering injury or death.
Most Ohio residents have likely been a patient in or visited a hospital. Within the last twenty years, the number of electronic monitors per patient has substantially grown in number. So too have the number of alarms synced to these monitors which researchers believe is becoming a major problem and contributing to "alarm fatigue" among nurses.
In one hospital's intensive care unit, researchers determined that more than 770 alarms sounded per patient within a 24-hour time period. The vast majority of medical electronic device monitoring alarms are either false alarms or warning alarms, neither of which require intervention by a nurse. The alarms do, however, still sound which causes concern among patients and contributes to members of nursing staff suffering alarm fatigue.
In recent years, nurses who have muted or silenced electronic device alarms have been found negligent in contributing to the injury or death of patients. Growing concern over alarm fatigue has prompted some hospitals to institute that the alarms on medical devices be tailored to the specific needs of each individual patient.
Patients who have suffered harm as a result of a nurse's error or negligent act may choose to contact an attorney. In many cases, such nursing errors result in a patient suffering harm and permanent and painful injuries.
Source: The Washington Post, "Too much noise from hospital alarms poses risk for patients," Lena H. Sun, July 7, 2013