ArticleBMC nursing2025
Assessment of alarm fatigue among intensive care unit nurses: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC nursing, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Improving the Quality of Nursing Care Through Clinical Alarm Management in Intensive Care Units: An Integrative Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Observational
- Too Demanding to Stay? Fatigue and Depressive Symptoms as Mediators of Turnover Intention in Romanian Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2026Article
- Digital alert fatigue and escalation behaviours in nurse-led remote postoperative care: a cross-sectional study.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- Exploring alarm fatigue among clinical nurses through a human factors engineering framework: a descriptive qualitative study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAlarm fatigue occurs when ICU personnel are exposed to an excessive number of alarms, resulting in desensitization, improper alarm management, and reduced patient safety. This study aimed to assess the extent of alarm fatigue among ICU nurses at a German university hospital using the Charité Alarm Fatigue Questionnaire (CAFQa) and to examine differences based on working hours and professional experience.
methodsAn observational cross-sectional study design was used. Data were collected via an online survey from nurses working in five intensive care units (ICUs) of a German university hospital between January and March 2024. The questionnaire comprised 27 items based on the Charité Alarm Fatigue Questionnaire (CAFQa). Additionally, participants rated their perceived alarm fatigue on a visual analogue scale ranging from 0 to 100%. Above that, participants were asked to provide information regarding their ICU experience and monthly workdays. Statistical significance was assessed using two-sample t-tests. Correlations between CAFQa scores and self-reported alarm fatigue were analysed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
resultsA total of 70 ICU nurses participated in the study. No significant differences in alarm fatigue were found between nurses working more than eight days per month and those working fewer days (t(56) = 1.00, p = 0.32), and with more than one year of ICU experience and less experience, respectively (t(56) = 1.32, p = 0.19). Complete CAFQa data were available for 59 participants. The mean CAFQa score was (17.7 ± 5.5) points out of 36 points ((49 ± 15) %), indicating moderate to high alarm fatigue. Individual scores ranged from 5 (14%) to 28 (78%). The average self-reported alarm fatigue was (47 ± 22) %.
conclusionsAlarm fatigue is present among ICU nurses in moderate to high levels, but no significant differences were observed based on working hours or professional experience. Since alarm fatigue may have grave repercussions for nurses and patients, recognition and implementation of effective strategies to minimise it are crucial.
trial registrationClinical trial number: Not applicable.
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