Quiet at Night: A new path to calmer, more restful hospital nights
How addressing unnecessary device alarms and managing them away from the bedside can help patients heal and nurses focus
Hospital noise levels have skyrocketed since the 1960s, turning patient rooms — especially at night — into spaces of fragmented sleep and stress. Much of the noise comes from medical device alarms that were designed to support safety but can interrupt patient recovery and overwhelm clinicians.
This paper explores how hospital leaders can restore rest and focus by tackling noise and alarm fatigue at their source — combining workflow, culture and technology to address unnecessary alerts and route meaningful ones to the right clinicians.
Inside, you’ll learn:
Hospital noise levels have skyrocketed since the 1960s, turning patient rooms — especially at night — into spaces of fragmented sleep and stress. Much of the noise comes from medical device alarms that were designed to support safety but can interrupt patient recovery and overwhelm clinicians.
This paper explores how hospital leaders can restore rest and focus by tackling noise and alarm fatigue at their source — combining workflow, culture and technology to address unnecessary alerts and route meaningful ones to the right clinicians.
Inside, you’ll learn:
- What has caused hospitals to become so noisy — and what to do about it, including adjusting workflows and making environmental updates
- Practical ways to manage alarm load through smarter configurations
- How the new SDC interoperability standard for medical devices enables alarm receipt and response away from the bedside
- Lessons from Cincinnati Children’s, which successfully silenced in-room monitors on med-surg units, and insights on ICU alarm culture from Grady Health System
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