Background Alarm fatigue is reported to be a major threat to patient safety, yet little empirical data support its existence in the hospital. Objective To determine if nurses exposed to high rates of non-actionable physiologic monitor alarms respond more slowly to subsequent alarms that could represent life-threatening conditions. Design Observational study using video. Setting Freestanding children's hospital. Patients (1) Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients requiring inotropic support and/or mechanical ventilation, and (2) medical ward patients. Intervention None. Measurements Actionable alarms were defined as correctly identifying physiologic status and warranting clinical intervention or consultation. We measured response time to alarms occurring while there were no clinicians in the patient's room. We evaluated the association between the number of non-actionable alarms the patient had in the preceding 120 minutes (categorized as 0-29, 30-79, or 80+ alarms) and response time to subsequent alarms in the same patient using a log-rank test that accounts for within-nurse clustering. Results We observed 36 nurses for 210 hours with 5070 alarms; 87.1% of PICU and 99.0% of ward clinical alarms were non-actionable. Kaplan-Meier plots showed incremental increases in response time as the number of non-actionable alarms in the preceding 120 minutes increased (log-rank test stratified by nurse P<.001 in PICU, P=.009 on ward). Conclusions Most alarms were non-actionable, and response time increased as nonactionable alarm exposure increased. Alarm fatigue could explain these findings. Future studies should evaluate the simultaneous influence of workload and other factors that can impact response time.

Background Alarm fatigue from frequent nonactionable physiologic monitor alarms is frequently named as a threat to patient safety. Purpose To critically examine the available literature relevant to alarm fatigue. Data Sources Articles published in English, Spanish, or French between January 1980 and April 2015 indexed in PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Study Selection Articles focused on hospital physiologic monitor alarms addressing any of the following: 1) the proportion of alarms that are actionable, 2) the relationship between alarm exposure and nurse response time, and 3) the effectiveness of interventions in reducing alarm frequency. Data Extraction We extracted data on setting, collection methods, proportion of alarms determined to be actionable, nurse response time, and associations between interventions and alarm rates. Data Synthesis Our search produced 24 observational studies focused on alarm characteristics and response time and 8 studies evaluating interventions. Actionable alarm proportion ranged from <1% to 36% across a range of hospital settings. Two studies showed relationships between high alarm exposure and longer nurse response time. Most intervention studies included multiple components implemented simultaneously. While studies varied widely, and many had high risk of bias, promising but still unproven interventions include widening alarm parameters, instituting alarm delays, and using disposable electrocardiographic wires or frequently changed electrocardiographic electrodes. Conclusions Physiologic monitor alarms are commonly nonactionable, and evidence supporting the concept of alarm fatigue is emerging. Several interventions have the potential to reduce alarms safely, but more rigorously designed studies with attention to possible unintended consequences are needed.

Background For adolescents and young adults (AYA) with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the transition from pediatric to adult care is often challenging and associated with gaps in care. Our study objectives were to (1) identify outcomes for evaluating transition success and (2) elicit the major barriers and facilitators of successful transition. Methods We interviewed pediatric and adult IBD providers from across the United States with experience caring for AYAs with IBD until thematic saturation was reached after 12 interviews. We elicited the participants' backgrounds, examples of successful and unsuccessful transition of AYAs for whom they cared, and recommendations for improving transition using the Social-ecological Model of Adolescent and Young Adult Readiness to Transition framework. We coded interview transcripts using the constant comparative method and identified major themes. Results Participants reported evaluating transition success and failure using healthcare utilization outcomes (e.g. maintaining continuity with adult providers), health outcomes (e.g. stable symptoms), and quality of life outcomes (e.g. attending school). The patients' level of developmental maturity (i.e. ownership of care) was the most prominent determinant of transition outcomes. The style of parental involvement (i.e. helicopter parent vs. optimally-involved parent) also influenced outcomes as well as the degree of support by providers (e.g. care coordination). Conclusion IBD transition success is influenced by a complex interplay of patient developmental maturity, parenting style, and provider support. Multidisciplinary IBD care teams should aim to optimize these factors for each patient to increase the likelihood of a smooth transfer to adult care.

Skeletal surveys (SSs) have been identified as a key component of the evaluation for suspected abuse in young children, but variability in SS utilization has been reported. Thus, we aimed to describe the utilization patterns, yield, and risks of obtaining SS in young children through a systematic literature review. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE and CINAHL databases for articles published between 1990 and 2016 on SS. We calculated study-specific percentages of SS utilization and detection of occult fractures and examined the likelihoods that patient characteristics predict SS utilization and detection of occult fractures. Data from 32 articles represents 64,983 children <60months old. SS utilization was high (85%-100%) in studies of infants evaluated by a child protection team for suspected abuse and/or diagnosed with abuse except in one study of primarily non-pediatric hospitals. Greater variability in SS utilization was observed across studies that included all infants with specific injuries, such as femur fractures (0%-77%), significant head injury (51%-82%), and skull fractures (41%-86%). Minority children and children without private insurance were evaluated with SS more often than white children and children with private insurance despite lack of evidence to support this practice. Among children undergoing SS, occult fractures were frequently detected among infants with significant head injury (23%-34%) and long bone fractures (30%) but were less common in infants with skull fractures (1%-6%). These findings underscore the need for interventions to decrease disparities in SS utilization and standardize SS utilization in infants at high risk of having occult fractures.

The transition from pediatric to adult healthcare is often challenging for adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease (SCD). Our study aimed to identify (1) measures of success for the transition to adult healthcare and (2) barriers and facilitators to this process. We interviewed 13 SCD experts and asked them about their experiences caring for adolescents and young adults with SCD. Our interview guide was developed based on Social-ecological Model of Adolescent and Young Adult Readiness to Transition framework, and interviews were coded using the constant comparative method. Our results showed that transition success was measured by healthcare utilization, quality of life, and continuation on a stable disease trajectory. We also found that barriers to transition include negative experiences in the emergency department, sociodemographic factors, and adolescent skills. Facilitators include a positive relationship with the provider, family support, and developmental maturity. Success in SCD transition is primarily determined by the patients’ quality of relationships with their parents and providers and their developmental maturity and skills. Understanding these concepts will aid in the development of future evidence-based transition care models.