ABSTRACT
Multiple alarms in the ICUs arc installed with the main aim of alerting the medical staff of potentially critical situations when the caregiver to patient ratio is high and attention on each individual patient may be compromised. When the number of individual alarms per patient gets too numerous, a central alarm system is put in place to help monitor all patients' status with one alarm system and a single computer monitor. This study aims to identify the possible factors that may affect the efficacy of the central alarm system put in place in the surgical ICU of a local hospital in Singapore, and seeks to evaluate the impact of the system on the line of care of patients by the nurses in the ICU. Preliminary observations and interview data collected during a 2-hour session in the surgical ICU have shown that the physical setup, rate of false alarms and perceived cues arc factors affecting the efficacy of the central alarm system. Desensitization of the ICU nurses due to high false alarm rates also suggest that other cues are used to alert the ICU nurses of changes in patient status. Other factors such as the differences in day and night shifts are also identified as possible contributors to the impact of the central alarm system on the line of care of the ICU nurses.
