Objectives To assess the level of alarm fatigue among intensive care unit (ICU), cardiac care unit (CCU) and emergency room (ER) nurses, identify associated demographic and occupational factors, determine the most frequent sources of alarms and evaluate nurses' psychological reactions to alarms. Design A cross-sectional, descriptive - analytical study.
Setting ICUs, CCUs and ERs of six public teaching hospitals affiliated with Tehran and Kashan Universities of Medical Sciences in Iran. Participants Using a multistage stratified random sampling method, 285 nurses were approached, of whom 260 completed and returned the questionnaires (response rate: 91%).
Participants were registered nurses with at least a bachelor's degree or higher and 3 months of experience in ICUs, CCUs or ERs. Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome was the level of alarm fatigue measured using the validated Nurses' Alarm Fatigue Questionnaire.
Secondary outcomes included factors associated with alarm fatigue and nurses' reported psychological responses to frequent alarms. Results The mean score of alarm fatigue was 26.4±7.9, indicating a moderate level.
BMJ Open published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 03 Apr 2026.
The item focuses on Alarm fatigue among critical care unit and emergency room nurses: a multicentre cross-sectional study in Iran.
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