• Seyed Reza Mirhafez, Ali Movahedi, Azam Moghadam-Pasha, Gholamreza Mohammadi, Vahid Moeini, Zahra Moradi, Ali Kavosi, and Mohammadreza Aryayi Far.
• Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran.
• Nurs Forum. 2019 Jul 1; 54 (3): 369-375.

BackgroundClinical alarms represent the top hazard listed in the "Top Ten Health Technology Hazards" report. Frequent false alarms can disrupt patient care and reduce trust in alarms.AimThe aim of the present study was to investigate the perceptions and practices of critical and noncritical care nurses regarding clinical alarms.MethodologyThis was a descriptive analytical study conducted from October 2016 to February 2017 at three hospitals on 197 nurses at Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences in Neyshabur, Northeastern Iran. Participants were selected through stratified random sampling. The perceptions were measured through the 2011 Health care Technology Foundation Clinical Alarms Survey.ResultsMore than half of the nurses believed that frequent false alarms reduced trust in alarms, leading nurses to inappropriately disable alarms. The nurses ranked frequent false alarms as the most important issue in response to alarms. More than 60% of the nurses indicated that they needed more training on the use of bedside and central monitors.ConclusionThe result of this study suggested that frequent false alarms, as the most important issue related to alarms, should be taken into account by hospital administrators and researchers to decrease alarm fatigue and improve alarm system safety. More specialized clinical policies and procedures for alarm management should also be considered.© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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