Key points

Alarm fatigue is a form of sensory desensitization that occurs when clinicians are exposed to medical alerts.

The stress from alarms can affect the mental health of staff, which may result in lower quality of care.

Practical strategies can help improve staff well-being and patient safety.

Hospitals are always buzzing with overlapping sounds—the beeping of the heart monitor, the sharp alert of an IV pump finishing, and the low hum of the ventilation. This creates a dissonant symphony of alerts, which can be a source of overwhelming sensory input for staff working eight or more hours daily. This can have a profound, often hidden toll of alarm fatigue on the mental health of health care staff.

What Is Alarm Fatigue?

Alarm fatigue—also known as alert fatigue—refers to the phen

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