Kangaroo™ Connect Enteral Feeding Pump

Enteral Alarms

Alarm fatigue is an ever-present problem for healthcare providers. It was named the number one medical technology hazard in 2013 by the ECRI Institute¹. Additionally, hospital-based clinical engineers and biomedical equipment technicians identified alarm management as one of their top medical device challenges in two separate surveys by AAMI. In April 2013, The Joint Commission addressed the issue in a Sentinel Event Alert (SEA) on Medical Device Alarm Safety in Hospitals¹. The SEA was followed by a National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) on Alarm Management issued in June 20133, which is effective in two phases:

• In phase I, effective January 2014, hospitals were required to establish alarms as an organization priority and identify the most important alarms to manage based on their own internal situations.
• In phase II, effective January 2016, hospitals will be expected to develop and implement specific components of policies and procedures. Education of those in the organization about alarm system management will also be required in January 2016.¹

Alarm fatigue with enteral feeding pumps can directly affect caregiver distraction and desensitization. This can lead to alarms that go unattended or caregivers attention being taken from a more pressing situation. An enteral pump with an accurate alarm system will help reduce the challenges with alarm fatigue.
Learn more about Alarm Management.