Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Devices used to monitor patients' vital signs are a crucial part of safe care in the intensive care unit (ICU). While these monitors have been available at the bedside since the early 70s, they have not been designed with their main user, nurses, in mind. Additionally, these devices are not particularly user-friendly, showing three key problems: a high false alarm rate, the lack of integration of information between devices, and that they can provide information for only one patient at a time. Alarms, such as a low heart rate alarm, can notify bedside nurses of deleterious changes in a patient's condition, allowing for rescue before harm occurs. However, false alarms are frequently caused by things like patient movement in bed. These alarms add to the noise in the ICU, disturb the patients' sleep, delays recovery, and contribute to the high burnout rate in nurses. The solution is "smart alarms" that can use additional information about the patient and the environment. Information from a number of bedside devices commonly used for a patient in the ICU, such as infusion pumps or mechanical ventilators, is not integrated. This prolongs the time until changes in a patient's condition are detected. Combining these displays into a single hand-held device is an attractive solution as it moves the alarms away from the bedside and into the hands of nurses wherever they are. An intelligent computer system can also improve their ability to detect potentially life-threatening conditions more correctly and rapidly. The mobile device will improve communication and information exchange between members of the health care team. Finally, by providing information about the condition of patients anywhere, nurses can cut the time needed to look for information and spend more time caring for their patients. Reducing the false alarm rate, improving the quality of information and its exchange, and providing it wherever the nurse might be, has a high potential for improving patient safety