The Impact of Customizing Patient Alarm Parameters on Nursing Staff Alarm Fatigue on an Intensive Care Unit
Advisor(s)
Zachariah Shumaker
Confirmation
1
Document Type
Poster
Location
ONU McIntosh Center; Activities Room
Start Date
24-4-2026 11:00 AM
End Date
24-4-2026 11:50 AM
Abstract
Problem: Alarm fatigue is a barrier to patient safety and nursing overall performance. It occurs when nurses are exposed to an overwhelming number of medical device alarms, leading to desensitization and delayed response. Despite multiple research articles on alarm fatigue, there is still a significant gap in practice on intensive care units.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of customizing patient alarm parameters, compared to standard alarm setting, to reduce alarm fatigue of all nursing staff in 30 days on an intensive care unit.
Methods: This study quasi-experimental and pretest-posttest design will be conducted on an Intensive Care Unit. A convenient sample of nursing staff on intensive care units will be educated on standard alarm settings and customized alarm settings and asked to customize alarm settings for patients based on their baseline physiology. The Alarm Fatigue Scale will measure the sensory overload and stress of nursing staff. Additionally, the frequency of alarms during each shift will be measured. Pre- and post-intervention data will be compared to evaluate the change in fatigue scores and the frequency of non-actionable alarms.
Conclusion: The result is expected to reveal a significant decrease in Alarm Fatigue Scale with a reduction of total number of alarms. Customizing alarm parameters is a feasible solution for reducing alarm fatigue among nursing staff and improving patient safety in clinical settings.
Recommended Citation
Le, Uyen, "The Impact of Customizing Patient Alarm Parameters on Nursing Staff Alarm Fatigue on an Intensive Care Unit" (2026). ONU Student Research Colloquium. 53.
https://digitalcommons.onu.edu/student_research_colloquium/2026/Posters/53
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The Impact of Customizing Patient Alarm Parameters on Nursing Staff Alarm Fatigue on an Intensive Care Unit
ONU McIntosh Center; Activities Room
Problem: Alarm fatigue is a barrier to patient safety and nursing overall performance. It occurs when nurses are exposed to an overwhelming number of medical device alarms, leading to desensitization and delayed response. Despite multiple research articles on alarm fatigue, there is still a significant gap in practice on intensive care units.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of customizing patient alarm parameters, compared to standard alarm setting, to reduce alarm fatigue of all nursing staff in 30 days on an intensive care unit.
Methods: This study quasi-experimental and pretest-posttest design will be conducted on an Intensive Care Unit. A convenient sample of nursing staff on intensive care units will be educated on standard alarm settings and customized alarm settings and asked to customize alarm settings for patients based on their baseline physiology. The Alarm Fatigue Scale will measure the sensory overload and stress of nursing staff. Additionally, the frequency of alarms during each shift will be measured. Pre- and post-intervention data will be compared to evaluate the change in fatigue scores and the frequency of non-actionable alarms.
Conclusion: The result is expected to reveal a significant decrease in Alarm Fatigue Scale with a reduction of total number of alarms. Customizing alarm parameters is a feasible solution for reducing alarm fatigue among nursing staff and improving patient safety in clinical settings.