bed alarm ring problem

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Dec 9, 2004

We have had this probelm for various reasons, malfunctions to patients turning them off to caregivers forgetting to put them on. So they started putting baby monitors in rooms of people that have these, and getting not one, but two kinds of alarms...the clip type for clothing and a mat one.

Overkill? Perhaps...but actually suprisingly it is not my department that is in charge of defining rules for alarms, it is the administration that chooses the rules if someone is a fall risk (we choose fall risk, and then the resident must follow administrative policy on monitoring via their family and administrative care plan for facility liablity). It becomes quite spendy too...they are charged for extra service for being a fall risk (go figure, it seems like if a person has gas they will charge extra fee for it! LOL!), and the cost of the baby monitors, alarms and batteries to run them.

The thing that hits my nerves the wrong way, and other nurses that have come in or work there is the baby monitors. They are put in the hallway of the service area for caregivers to hear...considering the caregivers are usually busy in rooms, it stands to reason they may not hear them anyway (and since they have 2-3 per service area, they can't wear these bulky things either). Now this seems to me to be a very large privacy issue! I mean, I walk by these things and hear EVERYTHING in a room that is going on! Imagine a married couple forgetting it is on, or someone having a little gas, or someone gossiping with a friend on the phone..etc. I hear it all! And most of the times..I sooooooo don't want to hear it. AND it is out where the other residents can hear it, and yes...has caused some confidentiality breaches with medical info when caregivers or nurses come in and forget to turn them off!

The one good thing is, even if you didn't hear the initial alarm because you were in a room, you sure as heck hear it once you get back out to the hall (or other staff) so residents aren't on the floor for very long. Does it stop falls?..maybe a little if the caregiver or staff is in the right place at the right time, and proably better than an alarm in a closed room.

I am still stuck on these baby monitors...I do see a benifit, and with falls benifits are a good thing..LOL, but how about the majority of the time where it just broadcasts their private lives? Hmmmmmm I'm still trying to figure out this one....

Blackcat99 · Dec 9, 2004

Bed alarm ring problems are a big problem at my LTC too. I have had to write 2 incident reports for 2 falls when the alarms were on but didn't ring when the resident got out of bed. The people who take care of the bed alarms have reported to the admininstration that they are not working properly but administration doesn't replace these faulty alarms. :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire . I think your idea of having 2 alarms and a baby monitor is a great one.