Implementing an Intelligent Alarm System in Intensive Care Units

Abstract: Today’s intensive care units monitor patients through the use of various medical devices, which generate a high ratio of false positive alarms due to a low alarm specificity. The false alarms have resulted in a stressful working environment for healthcare professionals that are getting more desensitized to triggered alarms and causing alarm fatigue. The patient safety is also compromised by having high noise levels in the patient room, which disturbs their sleep. This thesis has developed an intelligent alarm system with an improved alarm management and the use of 23 intelligent algorithms to minimize the number of false positive alarms. The suggested system is capable of improving the alarm situation and increasing the patient safety in critical care. The algorithms were modeled with fuzzy logics consisting of delays and multi parameter validation. The results were iteratively developed by having focus groups with various experts.