HIMSSCast: Recent breakthroughs in ICU dementia risk are leading the way to solving clinical alarm fatigue

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Ophir Ronen, CEO of CalmWave is looking to solve the problem of alarm fatigue in the ICU, by building predictive models. 

An estimated 771 alarms per bed, per day were measured at peak at John Hopkins and other locations, according to Ronen. This is untenable for both clinicians and to patients who are trying to recover.

"When you're overwhelmed by that much noise, you can't make sense of it," Ronen said. The problem becomes worse if it results in alarms being turned off or ignored, leading to a bad outcome if a patient sentinel event takes place. 

AI may be the answer to eliminating alarm fatigue, says Ronen, in this discussion with Susan Morse, executive editor of Healthcare Finance News.

CalmWave will be at HIMSS23 starting April 18 in Booth 6009-66 in the North Hall.
 

Talking Points:

• More than 75% of people discharged from the ICU display signs of dementia, such as loss of memory and communication. While in some cases this subsides in time, other patients will struggle with long-lasting impacts. 
• Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have recently developed technology that helps healthcare staff detect the early warning signs of delirium and dementia. 
• John Hopkins has developed two ML models to predict delirium risk.
• CalmWave is using this information to build predictive models and objective measures of clinical workload to get to more quiet ICUs.
• Alarms measured at peak at John Hopkins and other locations show 771 alarms going off, per bed, per day.

More About this Episode:

Johns Hopkins AI models predict ICU delirium risk

Everybody's top complaint about hospitals? Noise, according to HCAHPS data

Nurses faring better despite still-high rates of burnout

RN turnover in healthcare on the rise

Massachusetts ICU nurse staffing regulations did not improve patient mortality and complications

Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org

Dr. Cecil Lynch offers more details during the HIMSS23 session "How the Human Genome is Changing Precision Medicine." It is scheduled for Wednesday, April 19 at 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CT at South Building, Level 4, room S406 A.