ABSTRACT

The purpose of an auditory signal is to inform users of the state of a device, which, in turn often relates directly to the state of a patient. In the case of alarms, the purpose is to alert the user that something is wrong. A good auditory signal is one that can be clearly heard and that is distinctive enough to unambiguously indicate what it means. Another requirement for any signal is that it avoid annoying the user. Annoying signals increase the user’s stress level and provide an incentive to disable them.