Alarm Fatigue: Causes and Effects

The term "Alarm fatigue" is commonly used to describe the effect which a high number of alarms can have on caregivers: Frequent alarms, many of which are avoidable, can lead to inadequate responses, severely impacting patient safety. In the first step of a long-term effort to address this problem, both the direct and indirect impact of alarms, as well as possible causes of unnecessary alarms were focused. Models of these causes and impacts were developed using a scoping review which included guided interviews with experts from medical informatics, clinicians and medical device manufacturers. These models can provide the methodical grounds for the definition of targeted interventions and the assessment of their effects.

Effects of low-dose gestagen (lynestrenol 0.5 mg) and combination-type oral contraception (lynestrenol 1 mg and ethinyloestradiol 0.05 mg) on blood glucose and serum insulin levels after a glucose load

Forty 3-h oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) were performed in 10 apparently healthy female volunteers aged 21--34 years, each serving four times as her own control. Each subject was taking either a low-dose gestagen contraceptive (lynestrenol 0.5 mg) or a combination-type pill (lynestrenol 1 mg + ethinyloestradiol 0.05 mg) alternatingly in four consecutive treatment cycles. Blood glucose and serum insulin did not differ significantly with either contraceptive (paired t-test).