Ventilator Alarm Settings; Minimizing Risk In Patient Safety- A Quality Improvement Project
Patients in the ICU who require mechanical ventilation are at risk for complications and adequate setting of alarms is required to minimize adverse events. The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of adherence to a hospital departmental guideline on alarm setting in the adult ICU population. An observational prospective study was conducted collecting patient ventilator data and alarm settings. Set alarms were compared to recommended alarm settings, and adherence rates determined. There was significant non-adherence to the Department Guideline on ventilator alarms. This study confirms what other previous studies have reported.
