From the Guidelines
The answer is "All of the Above." Telemetry monitoring can negatively impact patient experience in multiple ways.
Potential Harms of Telemetry
- Excess noise from nonactionable alarms can disrupt sleep and increase stress levels, contributing to a poor healing environment.
- Physical restraint by wires limits mobility, making it difficult for patients to move freely, use the bathroom independently, or participate in necessary physical activity.
- These restrictions can lead to delirium, particularly in elderly patients, as the combination of sleep disruption, unfamiliar environment, and limited mobility creates conditions that promote confusion and disorientation. Although the study by 1 focuses on the latency of ECG displays of hospital telemetry systems and its potential to lead to incorrect patient assessment and inappropriate treatment, it highlights the importance of considering the potential harms of telemetry monitoring on patient experience.
Mitigating Negative Effects
Healthcare providers should consider these potential harms when determining the necessity of continuous telemetry monitoring and implement strategies to mitigate these negative effects when telemetry is clinically indicated, such as regularly assessing the need for telemetry, using alarm reduction strategies, and promoting patient mobility and comfort.
From the Research
Potential Harms for Patient Experience of Telemetry
- Excess noise from nonactionable alarms: This is a potential harm as it can lead to alarm fatigue, which is associated with an increase in healthcare expenditures and the potential for patient harm from interventions in clinically inconsequential arrhythmias 2.
- Restraint by wires: Patients may experience physical restrictions and psychological limitations associated with telemetry monitoring, which can be a potential harm 3.
- Delirium: Delirium is a common and debilitating complication of inpatient care for many older adults, and the use of telemetry monitoring may contribute to this risk, particularly if patients are restrained by wires or experience excess noise from alarms 4, 5.
Overall
All of the above options are potential harms for patient experience of telemetry, as they can lead to physical and psychological limitations, alarm fatigue, and increased risk of delirium 4, 2, 3, 5.