Clinical alarm
management is a crucial aspect of healthcare that involves monitoring and
responding to various alarms that are triggered by medical devices. These
alarms are designed to alert healthcare professionals to potential patient
issues or changes in the patient's condition. However, with the increasing use
of medical devices in healthcare settings, the number of alarms generated has
also increased, leading to alarm fatigue among healthcare professionals.
Alarm fatigue occurs
when healthcare providers become desensitized to the constant beeping and
buzzing of medical devices, leading to an increased risk of missed alarms and
patient harm. Therefore, clinical alarm management is critical to ensuring
patient safety and improving the quality of care.
To effectively
manage clinical alarms, healthcare facilities must implement a comprehensive
alarm management system that includes the following components:
- Alarm
prioritization: Healthcare providers must prioritize alarms based on the
severity of the patient's condition and the likelihood of harm if the alarm is
ignored.
- Alarm customization:
Healthcare facilities must customize alarm settings to ensure that alarms are
relevant to the patient's condition and the medical device's intended use.
- Staff education:
Healthcare providers must receive proper training on the use of medical devices
and the appropriate response to alarms.
- Alarm analytics:
Healthcare facilities should use data analytics to identify patterns and trends
in alarm data to improve alarm management processes continually.
- Continuous
monitoring and improvement: Healthcare facilities should regularly review their
alarm management processes to identify areas for improvement and implement
changes to optimize patient safety.
Clinical Alarm
Management Market Dynamics
Drivers in Clinical Alarm Management Market
Clinical alarm
management is an important aspect of healthcare, and the market for such
solutions is driven by various factors. One of the primary drivers of the
market is the increasing problem of alarm fatigue, which has been caused by the
increasing number of alarm-based devices, patients connected to various
devices, and lack of standardization across devices. Alarm fatigue can lead to
healthcare personnel being desensitized and ignoring alarms, resulting in
potential critical notifications being missed and severe consequences.
Inaccurate and nuisance alarms can also hinder patient recovery and cause
frustration and stress for caregivers. The ECRI Institute has identified alarm
hazards as a significant patient safety risk, with 200 reports of alarm-related
deaths being filed with the FDA between 2005 and 2010.
During the COVID-19
pandemic, the problem of alarm fatigue increased significantly, leading to a
positive impact on the adoption of clinical alarm management solutions. Efforts
by notable players to set themselves apart from competitors have also increased
support for technological advancements at the lowest cost possible, leading to
market growth. Improved patient safety and fewer missed true positive alarms
are also prominent market drivers.
Restraints in Clinical Alarm Management Market
However, the lack of
interoperability serves as a prime restraint to the effective implementation of
clinical alarm management solutions and services. Interoperability among
electronic systems is a key requirement for data integration and analysis
efforts. Without adequate data exchange and analysis, clinical alarm management
cannot be effective. The National Electronic Health Records Survey shows that
only around 16% of physicians were able to send, receive, and integrate health
data into their respective EHR systems. Interoperability is cited as a major
obstacle to effectively using and meeting the potential of HCIT by 94% of
accountable care organizations (ACOs) surveyed by Premier, Inc. (US) and the
eHealth Initiative.
Despite this
restraint, clinical alarm management solutions offer various benefits,
including enhanced patient and family satisfaction, improved sleep and rest,
reduction in non-actionable alarms and gaps in alarm protocol, and enhanced
patient safety. Operational benefits include decreased alarm fatigue, growing
staff satisfaction, less burnout, improved productivity, and better use of nursing
resources. Financial benefits include a reduction in staff turnover, decreased
patient length of stay, avoidable patient harm and potentially costly
repercussions from ICU transfers extended length of stay and litigation.
Challenges in Clinical Alarm Management Market
Overcoming
Resistance from Traditional Healthcare Providers
The use of clinical
alarm management solutions is not yet widespread due to the reluctance of
traditional healthcare providers who lack knowledge about information
technology. Some healthcare providers believe that the noise and confusion
created by alarms are normal, and therefore do not see the value in using these
solutions, which they consider a time-consuming task with no clinical benefits.
To encourage the adoption of these solutions, it is important to increase
awareness and provide incentives to nurses and caregivers to recommend the use
of clinical alarm management. Involving physicians in the development and pilot
testing phases of these solutions can also create awareness and ensure that the
solutions are clinically relevant, which can promote their usefulness in
achieving clinical benefits. Despite the gradual increase in adoption of
clinical alarm management solutions, the lack of acceptance by nurses may
hinder market growth.
Opportunities in Clinical Alarm Management Market
Increasing Adoption
of EHRs
Electronic health
records (EHRs) contain complex, confidential, and often unstructured patient
data. Incorporating this information into the healthcare delivery process is a
challenge that must be overcome to fully realize the benefits of improving
patient care. Although EHRs have been in use for over a decade, their adoption
has gained momentum due to government initiatives in many countries aimed at
enhancing patient safety. The next phase of EHR development is expected to
leverage context-specific information about the clinical care setting and
patients to refine functionality and improve the relevance of reference content
and alerts provided to patients at the point of care. By harnessing greater
patient context from the medical records stored in the patient's profile, EHRs
can influence the alerts provided to clinicians in a way that makes them less
overwhelming and more relevant. As a result, hospitals are expected to focus on
building their capabilities by integrating various hospital systems with EHRs,
which will lead to potential growth opportunities for market players in the
coming years as the EHR market is expected to grow at a double-digit rate.
During the forecast
period, the clinical alarm management solutions segment is projected to
dominate the market and generate the most significant revenue share. This can
be attributed to the increasing adoption of connected care technologies in
healthcare, key companies' initiatives, and the urgent need to address alarm
fatigue. Moreover, the market is expected to be driven by the need to reduce
adverse patient events, false and nuisance alarms, and comply with regulatory
requirements.
In contrast, the
services segment is expected to experience the fastest growth rate during the
forecast period. This can be attributed to the initiatives undertaken by public
and private health institutions, expanding service offerings by key market
players, and the growing demand for mitigating patient safety risks.
Additionally, the market growth is likely to be fueled by technological
advancements and the rising number of clinical alarm management service
providers.
The North American
region has the largest market share in the global clinical alarm management
market. This is mainly due to the rising number of cases related to alarm
fatigue, along with the efforts of the government to reduce the impact of alarm
fatigue. Additionally, the need for integrated healthcare IT systems has
increased, which ensures the reliability, efficient maintenance, data
integrity, and timely availability of patient data to authorized healthcare
professionals.
On the other hand,
the Asia Pacific region is expected to witness the highest CAGR during the
forecast period. This growth can be attributed to the increasing adoption of
technologically advanced solutions in order to provide better healthcare
facilities. Furthermore, countries such as Australia, China, India, and Japan
are investing heavily in the healthcare sector, which is expected to boost the
market growth in the region.
During the forecast
period, the nurse call systems segment was the market leader, accounting for
more than 23.8% of total revenue. This was due to product advancements fueled
by wireless technology and automation, as well as the need for healthcare
facilities to enhance clinical workflow, reduce operating costs, and maximize
available resources. Additionally, the increased funding for wireless
technologies and IP-based nurse call systems is projected to further drive
market growth.
The EMR integration
systems segment is expected to experience the highest compound annual growth
rate (CAGR) of 21% during the forecast period. This growth is due to the rising
digitalization of healthcare, an increase in the adoption of EHR/ EMR solutions
by hospitals and clinics, and the growing interoperability among digital
healthcare solutions. The Vocera Platform offered by Vocera Communications
provides extensive interoperability solutions to facilitate clinical
communication and workflow as part of a single platform.
The hospitals and clinics
segment held the largest market share, accounting for more than 22% of total
revenue during the forecast period. This was due to the growing influx of
patients, increasing emergency cases, and the integration of sophisticated
clinical alarm management solutions. Moreover, the home care settings segment
is projected to grow due to the need for effective patient monitoring to
enhance patient safety and ensure timely responses.
Dominating Companies
in Clinical Alarm Management Market
- KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS
N.V.
- VOCERA
COMMUNICATIONS
- GE HEALTHCARE
- ASCOM
- SPOK, INC.
(SUBSIDIARY OF SPOK HOLDINGS, INC.)
- MASIMO
- CONNEXALL
- CAPSULE
TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
- CORNELL
COMMUNICATIONS
- MOBILE HEARTBEAT
(SUBSIDIARY OF HOSPITAL CORPORATION OF AMERICA)
- DRÄGERWERK AG &
CO. KGAA
- SHENZHEN MINDRAY
BIO-MEDICAL ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
- Hill-Rom Services,
Inc. (Baxter)
- INTERCALL SYSTEMS
INC.
- MEDTRONIC
- JOHNSON CONTROLS
- WEST-COM NURSE CALL
SYSTEMS, INC.
- CRITICAL ALERT
- CSI COMPUTECH INDIA
PVT. LTD.
- LIVE SENTINEL
- AMPLION CLINICAL
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
- CERNER CORPORATION
- ALPHA COMMUNICATIONS
- FUJIAN HUANYUTONG
TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
- TUNSTALL GROUP
Recent Developments
in Clinical Alarm Management Market
- Philips Healthcare:
In 2020, Philips Healthcare acquired Capsule Technologies, a leading provider
of medical device integration and clinical surveillance solutions. The
acquisition will enable Philips to strengthen its portfolio of connected care
solutions, including clinical alarm management systems.
- Masimo: In 2021, Masimo
acquired NantHealth's Connected Care business, which includes a portfolio of
remote patient monitoring and clinical decision support solutions. The
acquisition will enable Masimo to expand its offerings in the clinical alarm
management market.
- Hillrom: In 2021,
Hillrom announced a partnership with EarlySense, a provider of contact-free
continuous monitoring solutions. The partnership will enable Hillrom to
integrate EarlySense's technology into its clinical alarm management systems to
enhance patient safety and reduce alarm fatigue.
- Connexall: In 2019,
Connexall announced a strategic partnership with Bernoulli Health, a provider
of real-time clinical surveillance solutions. The partnership will enable
Connexall to offer its customers advanced clinical alarm management
capabilities, including predictive analytics and intelligent alarm routing.
- Vocera: In 2019,
Vocera acquired EASE Applications, a provider of mobile communication solutions
for patients and families. The acquisition will enable Vocera to expand its
offerings in the clinical alarm management market by providing patients and
families with real-time updates on their loved ones' conditions.
- Hillrom: In 2019,
Hillrom acquired Voalte, a provider of mobile communication solutions for
healthcare. The acquisition will enable Hillrom to offer an integrated platform
that includes clinical alarm management, patient monitoring, and communication
solutions.
- RLDatix: In 2021,
RLDatix announced a partnership with The Patient Safety Company (TPSC), a provider
of software solutions for patient safety and quality management. The
partnership will enable RLDatix to expand its offerings in the clinical alarm
management market by integrating TPSC's software solutions into its platform.
- Ascom: In 2019,
Ascom acquired Resonant Medical, a provider of clinical alarm management and
patient monitoring solutions. The acquisition will enable Ascom to expand its
offerings in the healthcare communication and information technology market.
- Spok: In 2019, Spok
acquired the healthcare division of Spectralink Corporation, a provider of
mobile communication solutions for healthcare. The acquisition will enable Spok
to offer a comprehensive platform that includes clinical alarm management,
patient monitoring, and mobile communication solutions.
In conclusion,
clinical alarm management is a critical component of patient safety in
healthcare facilities. By implementing a comprehensive alarm management system
that prioritizes, customizes, educates, analyzes, and continuously improves,
healthcare providers can reduce alarm fatigue, enhance patient safety, and
improve the quality of care.
1.
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