@article{ref1,
title="The implications of probability matching for clinician response to vital sign alarms: a theoretical study of alarm fatigue",
journal="Ergonomics",
year="2015",
author="Bailey, James M.",
volume="58",
number="9",
pages="1487-1495",
abstract="Alarm fatigue has been recognised as a significant health technology safety risk. 'Probability matching', in which clinicians respond to the alarm at a rate identical to the perceived reliability of the alarm, has been postulated as a model to explain alarm fatigue. In this article, we quantitatively explore the implications of probability matching for systolic blood pressure alarms. We find that probability matching could have a profound effect on clinician response to the alarm, with a response rate of only 8.6% when the alarm threshold is 90 mm Hg and the optimal threshold for a systolic blood pressure alarm would only be 77 mm Hg. We use the mathematical framework to assess a mitigation strategy when clinicians have a limit to the capacity to respond. We find that a tiered alarm in which clinicians receive information on the severity of vital sign perturbation significantly improves the opportunity to rescue patients. Practitioner Summary: Using a theoretical model, we predict that probability matching, a postulated model of clinician behaviour, can result in a profound decrease in clinician response to alarms for decreased blood pressure. A mitigating strategy is to create alarms that convey information on the degree of vital sign perturbation.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0014-0139",
doi="10.1080/00140139.2015.1021861",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2015.1021861"
}