The Relationship Between Alarm Fatigue and Clinical Competence among Neonatal Intensive Care Nurses in Kermanshah-Iran: A Correlational study

Aims: Inadequate qualifications of nurses are one of the predisposing factors for the occurrence of clinical errors in care units. Furthermore, false alarms reduce the response time and nurses' trust in alarms, which can cause them to suffer from alarm fatigue in the long run. Therefore, this study was undertaken to assess the relationship between alarm fatigue and clinical competence among neonatal intensive care nurses in Kermanshah-Iran. Methods: In this descriptive correlational study, 140 nurses working in the neonatal intensive care unit of Kermanshah city in 2023-2024 were included in the study by census method. The data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire, the “Nurse Competence Scale” and an “Alarm fatigue questionnaire”. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16 using descriptive and analytical statistics with significant level of P<0.05. Results: The average alarm fatigue score was 21.61 ± 7.45 and above average. Most of the researched nurses, that means 75% of them, had very good clinical qualifications. The average score of clinical competence in nurses was 174.76± 26.74 and was evaluated at a very good level. This study shows the relationship between alarm fatigue and clinical competence in the teaching–coaching subscale among nurses (p=0/019). However, in total, there was no significant difference. Conclusion: This study shows the relationship between alarm fatigue and clinical competence in the teaching–coaching subscale among neonatal intensive care nurses. Therefore, it should be planned to improve training and solutions based on standard guidelines to reduce alarms and monitor physiological monitoring systems in hospitals.

The Relationship Between Alarm Fatigue and Clinical Competence among Neonatal Intensive Care Nurses in Kermanshah-Iran: A Correlational study Keywords:

Nurses , Alert Fatigue , Health Personnel , Clinical Competence , Intensive Care Units , Neonatal