Mass. Rep. asks IOM to develop CDS standards for less alarm fatigue

Edward J. Markey, D-Mass. Source: www.markey.house.gov

In a Dec. 15 letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., formally requested that the Institute of Medicine (IOM), to reduce alarm fatigue and create best practice guidelines for vendors developing computerized decision support (CDS) systems.

Citing a Dec. 15 Boston Globe article on alarm fatigue, Rep. Markey wrote, “In light of these recent reports, I ask that you commission the IOM to develop best practices guidelines for device manufacturers and healthcare providers to protect patient safety and avoid alarm fatigue and alarm-related safety concerns.

“The guidelines should be three-fold and address ways that device manufacturers can minimize the number of unnecessary alarms and false positives, the steps that hospitals can take to ensure that providers are well-trained to minimize the alarm fatigue and measures the FDA can take to improve its adverse event reporting system,” Markey continued.

Markey’s suggestions for the IOM included developing standards for interactions between devices utilizing CDS systems, timelines for CDS system tests and for reporting CDS system-related adverse events.