Nurses’ perception and cognition of electrocardiogram monitoring alarms

Abstract

In this study, nurses’ perception and cognition of electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring alarms were investigated in relation to their competence and experience of incidents or accidents related to ECGs. Questionnaires were given to 300 nurses who used ECG monitors at a hospital. Relationships between personal attributes and scores on questions about the perception and cognition of alarms were analyzed. Analysis of variance was performed to determine the tendency of perception and cognition scores among nurses on the clinical ladders I, II and ≧III and pre-acquisition nurses. The group on Ladder I was the most sensitive to the ECG’s alarm (p <.05).