Joint Commission Offers Safety Protocols To Avoid Problems Caused by `Alarm Fatigue’

CHICAGO—The Joint Commission (TJC) is recommending health care institutions develop medical device alarm safety protocols, pointing to disturbing patterns of patient injuries and deaths associated with “alarm fatigue” and poor alarm management practices.

In a periodic Sentinel Event Alert Issue No. 50 released April 8, TJC offered a series of recommendations hospitals should implement to manage devices fitted with alarm signals such as blood pressure monitors, electrocardiogram machines, ventilators, pulse oximetry devices, and central station monitors.

TJC, a hospital accreditation organization, noted that alarms on such devices are critical to patient care and safety, alerting clinicians to various types of ...