Musical Timbres Could Reduce Alarm Fatigue and False Alarms in HospitalsNew Study Proposes Musical Tones to Improve Hospital Alarms

Hospitals are notorious for their constant barrage of alarm noises, which can reach up to 1,000 per shift. This sensory overload has been linked to hundreds of preventable deaths, but new research suggests there may be a solution that not only reduces the annoyance factor but also makes vital equipment more effective.

Anyone who has spent time in a hospital, whether as a patient or visitor, is familiar with the incessant beeping of alarms. No matter where you are in the hospital, the noise is hard to escape. As a former ICU nurse, I know firsthand the frustration of being bombarded with alarms from various machines all at once. It's enough to make you want to cover your ears and run away. And to make matters worse, many of these alarms are false alarms, with only a small percentage actually indicating a true emergency. This can lead to "alarm fatigue," where healthcare workers become desensitized to the noise and may end up missing important alarms. In fact, the FDA has reported hundreds of deaths caused by alarm-related errors.

In an effort to improve the effectiveness of these alarms, global standards were introduced to ensure consistency among different manufacturers. This has resulted in many alarms sounding the same in terms of pitch and tone. However, a recent study has explored the use of different sounds, specifically musical tones, to see if they could be more effective in capturing the attention of busy medical personnel.

Since 2015, researchers Joseph Schlesinger and Michael Schutz have been studying how different timbres, or qualities of sound, could be used to make alarms more noticeable. Schlesinger, an anesthesiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Schutz, a music cognition researcher at McMaster University, have found that percussive sounds, characterized by short bursts of high-frequency energy, are more effective in catching people's attention than loud, flat tones.

To test their theory, the researchers recruited 42 participants with normal hearing and presented them with different alarms, some in the standard tone used in medical devices and some in a new timbre based on the sound of a xylophone. The results showed that the new timbre was perceived as less annoying in 88% of cases, and it was just as effective in being recognized as the standard tone.

Future research will continue to explore how different timbres can impact the effectiveness of alarms in other areas, such as their detectability. This study, published in the journal Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management, offers a promising solution to reducing the annoyance and potential danger of alarm fatigue in hospitals.

Ann Castro
Ann Castro Author
Ann Castro carries a total of 7 years experience in the healthcare domain. She owns a Master’s of Medicine Degree. She bagged numerous awards by contributing in the medical field with her ground-breaking notions. Ann has developed her own style of working and known for accuracy in her work. She loves trekking. She visits new places whenever she gets free time.