Using Integrated Big Data to Prevent Alarm Fatigue

Alarm fatigue is a real and pervasive problem in U.S. hospitals, with a negative effect on not only patient safety and satisfaction, but also the quality of the work and job satisfaction of clinical care providers. Some studies show that false alarms in hospitals account for up to 99% of all the activity nurses and doctors respond to each day. These incidents have led to negative outcomes up to and including patient fatalities. Integrated big data can reduce unnecessary alarms, however, saving lives and improving the quality of care across the continuum.

Alarm fatigue still a pervasive problem

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recognized alarm fatigue as a significant patient safety concern, dating back to 2013 when they issued a National Patient Safety Goal to address it. Fierce Healthcare reported at the time that the ruling came about because of eight alarm-related deaths from 2009 to 2012. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) database showed 566 deaths between 2005 and 2010. Fast forward to today when 72% to 99% of all the beeping from monitors, beds, and pumps are false, it becomes clear that the potential for alarm fatigue in today’s hospitals is pervasive. It’s common for hospitals to average one million alarms in a week, and with 85% or higher of those alarms potentially false, it’s easy to understand the frustration and fatigue nurses and doctors feel.

Combating alarm fatigue has been the rallying cry since 2013. The difference today is that we have the technology available to help.

How big data reduces alarm fatigue

Part of the challenge with alarm fatigue is that hospitals have varying metrics for what triggers patient alarms. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for alarm vendors to standardize alarm triggers. For example, an alarm for an older adult in a long-term care facility will likely differ from a child in the intensive-care unit (ICU). It’s common to find alarms that are not keyed to specific patient instances or even individual facility baselines.

Big data and artificial intelligence may hold the solution to a problem we’ve struggled with for nearly a decade. Today, integrated IT management platforms can capture the alarm information and feed it into an intuitive data warehouse. Sophisticated data analytics can identify opportunities to quickly cut nuisance alarms and set metrics to lower alarm volume. Critical to this process is the integration of the myriad systems such as nurse call, real-time location services (RTLS), mobile messaging, voice messaging, and workflow engines, to create a unified approach to the management of patient care. This integration has been missing from most hospital systems, but today’s big data platforms can overlay these disparate systems to create a more cohesive approach to care delivery.

Researchers also are testing new artificial intelligence (AI) tools that will help caregivers spot patient trends and diagnose or even predict critical illness. These sophisticated systems far surpass the simple rules engines that set off alarms in hospital settings. Instead, AI data tools use machine learning algorithms for smarter decision-making within the software itself.

Better alarm management by leveraging data

Talking about reducing alarm fatigue is one thing; but the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) Foundation, whose mission is to promote the safe and effective use of healthcare technology, set out to track how big data can impact hospital alarm fatigue. Their case study looked at how NCH Healthcare leveraged big data to lower the number of alarms from 255,912 to 79,486 in four months. This signaled a 69% reduction in alarms with no corresponding negative impact on patient safety. The reduction in alarming also did not correspond to an increase in rapid response, code calls, or “evidence of patient deterioration.” The data they captured from alarm signals allowed the facility to fine tune the equipment and hone staff response, providing other facilities with a glimpse of the potential for the use of big data in the reduction of false alarms.

TRL Systems can provide the technology and support you need to integrate state-of-the-art alarm technology with advanced reporting and analytics tools. This technology can capture actionable data to reduce the risk of false alarms and improve patient safety and the caregiver experience. Contact our team to find out more.