Call for Decision Support for Electrocardiographic Alarm Administration Among Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Staff: Multicenter, Cross-Sectional Survey
2024

Decision Support for ECG Alarm Management in NICUs

Sample size: 1019 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Tsafnat Guy, Lihua Xu, Ahmed Wesam, Tang Xiaoli, Yang Xiaochen, Yuan Jiajun, Yang Jie, Jin Qian, Zhang Hanting, Zhao Liebin, Guo Weiwei

Primary Institution: Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Intelligence Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Hypothesis

What are the current practices and decision-making requirements of health care providers regarding ECG alarms in neonatal intensive care units?

Conclusion

NICU staff have negative perceptions and significant decision-making needs related to ECG alarm management.

Supporting Evidence

  • 1019 respondents participated in the study.
  • 62.32% reported difficulty in resetting or modifying alarm parameters.
  • Physicians had more negative perceptions of ECG alarms compared to nurses.
  • Intelligent module–assisted decision support systems were the most preferred form of decision support.

Takeaway

This study shows that many doctors and nurses in NICUs find ECG alarms annoying and need better support to manage them.

Methodology

A nationwide, multicenter, cross-sectional survey was conducted among NICU staff in 27 Chinese provinces using a web-based questionnaire.

Potential Biases

Self-reported measurements may introduce bias.

Limitations

The study relied on self-reported data and may be subject to participant bias.

Participant Demographics

{"gender_distribution":{"male":105,"female":914},"education_levels":{"associate_degree_or_below":94,"bachelor_degree":674,"master_degree_or_above":251},"age_mean":34.65,"work_experience_mean":11.42}

Statistical Information

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.2196/60944

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