Battling alarm fatigue: safely modifying age-based heart rate and respiratory rate parameters in acute care pediatric patients based on nursing judgment.

Title : Battling alarm fatigue: safely modifying age-based heart rate and respiratory rate parameters in acute care pediatric patients based on nursing judgment.

Abstract:

Abstract:

Objective: Providing safe patient care while decreasing alarm fatigue when using continuous heart rate and respiratory rate monitoring is a delicate balance. Adjusting alarm parameters can decrease the risk for alarm fatigue as well as maintaining patient safety.

Methods: Alarms were monitored from a central monitoring system for all patients using continuous heart and respiratory rate monitors for 3 weeks. Data collected included heart rate and respiratory rate during a sounding alarm, whether an intervention was necessary or not, the age of the client, the condition the client was admitted for, and the current alarm parameters set.

Results: It was determined that the current age-based protocol +/-15% was safe and effective in meeting the needs of decrease non-actionable alarms by 43% and maintaining safety with zero actionable alarms during the time period of this project.

Discussion: Allowing nursing to use critical thinking to adjust heart rate and respiratory rate parameters by +/-15% provides a safe and effective method in reducing alarm fatigue while maintaining patient safety.

Biography:

Dr. Sally Clemenson graduated from Minnesota State University, Moorhead as a MS in nursing education in 2011. She went on to teach in the prelicensure arena while continuing practice in the pediatric intensive care unit. Dr. Clemenson received her DNP from Capella University in 2018 in nursing leadership. Following 9 years teaching in the prelicensure arena, Dr. Clemenson obtained a position as Assistant Professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato in their RN-BS completion program.