Critical Care Nurses’ Cognitive Ergonomics Related to Medical Device Alarms

This study uniquely gained insight into the intricacy of intensive care nurses’ decision-making process when responding to and managing device alarms. Difficulty in responding to alarms included low staffing, multiple job responsibilities, and competing priority tasks. Novice nurses are more tolerant of alarms sounding owing to a lower threshold of comfort with resetting or silencing alarms; more experienced nurses are more comfortable resetting alarm limits to the patient's baseline. Understanding the decision-making process used by nurses can guide the development of policies and learning experiences that are crucial clinical support for alarm management.