Demo

Abstract

Nurses in intensive care units are exposed to a large number of acoustic alarms which need to be evaluated and acknowledged. With different pitches and frequencies those alarms convey different levels of urgency to support the evaluation of its source. However, with up to 350 acoustic alarms per patient per day a desensitization for alarms is unavoidable. To reduce the risk of alarm fatigue, we develop multimodal concepts to deliver alarms in a non-acoustical manner. In this work, we present a body-worn pervasive device by which former acoustic alarms are now displayed by tactile stimuli on the upper arm of a care taker. The prototype as well as the implemented vibration patterns were evaluated with nurses under task conditions that mimic common loads of care tasks.