{"title":"Beyond Monitors: Intravenous Smart Pump Alarm Fatigue As a Safety Concern.","authors":"Brenda Abena Nyarko, Karen K Giuliano","doi":"10.4037/aacnacc2025136","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intravenous smart pump alarm fatigue remains a persistent and underrecognized patient safety concern in acute and critical care settings. Although alarm fatigue has been traditionally associated with physiological monitors, intravenous smart pumps are also a frequent source of alarms for hospitalized patients that contribute substantially to alarm fatigue. This article synthesizes current evidence on intravenous smart pumps and related alarm fatigue, identifies knowledge gaps, and proposes short-term and long-term interventions. Inconsistencies in alarm design and inadequate human-centered design have led to the development of intravenous smart pump systems that create an unacceptably high number of technical alarms that are unrelated to changes in patient status. Data-driven strategies are discussed as mechanisms to reduce burden and enhance alarm effectiveness. A systems-level approach combining human factors engineering, intelligent algorithm development, and clinical partnerships with manufacturers is essential for reducing alarm-related risk, decreasing nursing workload, and improving patient outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":46461,"journal":{"name":"AACN Advanced Critical Care","volume":"36 3","pages":"252-257"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"AACN Advanced Critical Care","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4037/aacnacc2025136","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Intravenous smart pump alarm fatigue remains a persistent and underrecognized patient safety concern in acute and critical care settings. Although alarm fatigue has been traditionally associated with physiological monitors, intravenous smart pumps are also a frequent source of alarms for hospitalized patients that contribute substantially to alarm fatigue. This article synthesizes current evidence on intravenous smart pumps and related alarm fatigue, identifies knowledge gaps, and proposes short-term and long-term interventions. Inconsistencies in alarm design and inadequate human-centered design have led to the development of intravenous smart pump systems that create an unacceptably high number of technical alarms that are unrelated to changes in patient status. Data-driven strategies are discussed as mechanisms to reduce burden and enhance alarm effectiveness. A systems-level approach combining human factors engineering, intelligent algorithm development, and clinical partnerships with manufacturers is essential for reducing alarm-related risk, decreasing nursing workload, and improving patient outcomes.
期刊介绍:
AACN Advanced Critical Care is a quarterly, peer-reviewed publication of in-depth articles intended for experienced critical care and acute care clinicians at the bedside, advanced practice nurses, and clinical and academic educators. Each issue includes a topic-based symposium, feature articles, and columns of interest to critical care and progressive care clinicians. AACN Advanced Critical Care contains concisely written, practical information for immediate use and future reference. Continuing education units are available for selected articles in each issue. AACN Advanced Critical Care is an official publication of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.