Soundscaping: Sound, meaning and vision in healthcare alarm systems

Abstract

Sound alarm systems are designed to help healthcare professionals make critical decisions, affecting the wellbeing of patients. Given the ease with which we deal with the complex and disparate sounds that occur in our day-today environment, the difficulties users encounter when dealing with auditory alarms in healthcare systems seem remarkable. This paper examines the reasons underpinning the difficulties experienced with current alarms and explores how alarm systems might be improved resulting in less confusion and better established user mental models. The implications for medical decision making are discussed. Auditory alarms. Health care. Meaning and mental models. Eye tracking.