Baseline measurement

Medical alarms

With the introduction of separate patient rooms in the Intensive Care Unit, the need has arisen to bring (distribute) alarms from medical devices around the patient’s bed outside the rooms. Due to the alarm distribution to a mobile device, the nurse is quickly informed of an active medical alarm. Even when the patient room door is closed.

Relevant alarm information

A risk here is that the one-to-one distribution of all alarms will lead to alarm fatigue among the end users. With the alarm management solution MediScore Medical Device Data Gateway (MediScore MDDG) from itemedical, in combination with a Medical Calling System (MOS), the number of distributed alarms is significantly reduced. This alarm solution also shows more relevant details about alarm information to healthcare professionals. This increases patient safety, can reduce alarm fatigue and make patient care more efficient.

Insight into your alarm situation

For a significant reduction in the number of distributed alarms, it is essential to collect and analyze quantitative data on medical alarms (Johns Hopkins White Paper Alarms). A baseline measurement is also strongly recommended by the AAMI Foundation 2015, Clinical Alarm Management Compendium. During the period of the baseline measurement, no alarm distribution of medical alarms is yet taking place. Information is collected about the current alarm situation in your department for several weeks to several months.

In practice

By using a baseline measurement, you get a good and realistic picture of the alarms in your department. This provides the best insight into the effects of the MediScore MDDG and MOS solution. Prior to the start of the alarm distribution, itemedical performs a baseline measurement with the aim of gaining more insight into:

• The amount of medical alarms by type of medical device
• Alarm priorities by medical device type
• Alarm conditions by type of medical device
• Duration of the medical alarms
• The reduction capabilities of medical alarms for alarm filtering or delay.

Evaluate and make adjustments

The data obtained on medical alarms during the baseline measurement is analyzed by itemedical. Based on this analysis, a specific configuration is agreed with your department for the go-live configuration of the alarm distribution. Immediately after the go-live there is sufficient space to make desired adjustments to your MediScore MDDG configuration. After going live, a MediScore MDDG database and log files are backed up on a periodic basis. This anonymous database backup is analyzed by us. This is part of post-market surveillance activities in the context of the legislation and regulations for Class IIb (CE 0344) medical devices.