Rep. Edward Markey (D-Walden) of Massachusetts has asked HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to commission the Institute of Medicine to study and establish solutions to fight alarm fatigue, according to a Boston Globe report.
Alarm fatigue occurs when nurses, who hear hundreds of machine alarms alerting potential patient crises, tune out the sound due to overexposure. According to FDA data, there were 566 alarm-related deaths in the United States between 2005 and 2008.
Rep. Markey said the IOM should produce guidelines that help both device manufacturers and healthcare providers prevent alarm fatigue and reduce patient harm.
Alarm fatigue occurs when nurses, who hear hundreds of machine alarms alerting potential patient crises, tune out the sound due to overexposure. According to FDA data, there were 566 alarm-related deaths in the United States between 2005 and 2008.
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Rep. Markey said the IOM should produce guidelines that help both device manufacturers and healthcare providers prevent alarm fatigue and reduce patient harm.
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