The Path to Alarm Safety: A Plan for Reducing Alarm Hazards

Reducing clinical alarm hazards through better alarm management is a complex and lengthy process. To navigate this critical patient safety issue—and thus to comply with the Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goal on alarm management—ECRI Institute recommends the plan outlined below.

This plan, in conjunction with other resources developed by ECRI Institute, is intended to serve as a model from which hospitals can create their own alarm management programs. Because the "most important alarm signals to manage," to use the Joint Commission's phrase, will vary from one hospital to the next—and thus the efforts required to effectively manage those signals will vary—this plan (or any other) will need to be adapted to address local factors.

The approach we recommend, while not the only valid path, is based on

Following is our step-by-step guide for improving clinical alarm management and reducing alarm hazards. For help completing specific steps, refer to...