Health devices
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Alarm-safety issues are nothing new in healthcare. ECRI, for example, has emphasized the importance of alarm safety for many years. Yet patients continue to be injured or killed because of ineffective alarm coverage, inappropriate alarm use, and failure to hear alarms. ⋯ This special Guidance Article provides advice on just what JCAHO expects, how U. S. hospitals should respond to its initiative, and how much in the way of time and resources will be required. In addition, we detail our broad-based recommendations on improving alarm safety, which cover issues that are common to healthcare institutions around the world.