Maternity ward reduces alarm fatigue

Introducing a maternal vital sign guideline for low-risk patients reduced vital signs measured as well as alarms, which could reduce alarm fatigue, a study found. Published in the May issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, the study authors implemented a quality improvement project at an urban, academic hospital to decrease the overuse of monitoring and related false or missed alarms. Over 35 individual 24-hour periods, vital signs per patient declined from an average of 208.34 to 135.46. Alarms per patient fell from an average of 14.31 to 10.51. There was no difference in severe maternal morbidity. The authors believe utilizing a maternal vital sign guideline for low-risk patients widely could improve patient safety and optimize outcomes. (AHRQ Journal of Patient Safety article, 4/12/23)