Paper

At the nurses station, alarms beep relentlessly so frequently that the sound can blend into the background of patient care. What was designed to alter nurses to life-threatening changes become a source of sensory overload in many acute care settings. Electrocardiography (ECG) and pulse oximetry monitors generate a high volume of alarms, many of which are nonactionable, contributing to alarm fatigue and increasing the risk of delayed response to clinically significant events. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Practice Alert, Managing Alarms in Acute Care Across the Life Span: Electrocardiography and Pulse Oximetry, emphasized the nurses responsibility in reducing nonactionable alarms and promoting safe monitoring practices (American Association of Critical Care nurses [AACN], 20218). Current research supports this guidance, demonstrating that structured alarm management bundles and targeted alarm reduction strategies can significantly decrease alarm burden and improve nurse response to meaningful alarms (Bosma & Christopher, 2023; Yang, 2025). Because alarm management directly affects patient safety, workflow efficiency, and quality outcomes, it is essential to examine how evidence-based nursing interventions align with professional practice standards. This paper will analyze the AACN practice alert in relation to current nursing research and evaluate how alarm management connects to the World Health Organizations social determinants of health and the Joint Commission 2026 National Performance Goals. The purpose of this paper is to examine how nurses can influence alarm management practices in acute care to improve patient safety outcomes across the life span.