Sounding the Alarm on a Better Patient Experience

How Catalyst by Wellstar is working towards solving alarm fatigue

Imagine you’re a patient in a hospital, feeling vulnerable and eager for a comforting environment. What matters most to you? A warm, reassuring smile from a nurse? A meal that’s both nourishing and enjoyable? For many, the hospital experience hinges on small but crucial factors like communication, food, smells, noise, and comfort. And while each of these can greatly shape how patients feel, there’s one unexpected factor that impacts them all—noise, especially the unrelenting sound of alarms.

Sound Levels: The Power of a Quiet Room

Noise is an unavoidable part of hospital life, from the hum of machinery to conversations in the hallway. Yet, it’s the near constant sound of alarms that many patients find most disruptive.

The Voice team spoke with patients and their loved ones at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital to learn about their experiences during their visit.

Caroline, whose mother is a patient, shared their experience.

These alarms serve a critical purpose, alerting healthcare providers to urgent situations. But with up to 99% of alarms in ICUs being non-actionable, is it any wonder that alarm fatigue has become a concern among healthcare providers? For patients, the noise can disrupt sleep, raise anxiety levels, and even slow recovery. For caregivers, it can lead to burnout, cognitive overload, and, worse yet, missed alarms. So how do we separate the necessary from the noise?

Catalyst by Wellstar and CalmWave: The quest to conquer alarm fatigue

This is where Catalyst by Wellstar steps in, pioneering a groundbreaking solution with CalmWave. Alarm fatigue isn’t just an annoyance; it can be a genuine threat to patient safety and caregiver well-being. Enter CalmWave, an AI-driven solution that filters non-actionable alarms, focusing on what truly matters. In a recent proof-of-concept with Wellstar Health System, CalmWave demonstrated a remarkable 58% reduction in non-actionable alarms in a study using retroactive data from a Wellstar ICU. Imagine the relief—a quieter ICU where caregivers can focus on genuine alerts, reducing stress and enhancing patient safety.

How does it work? CalmWave’s Operations Platform harnesses historical data to tailor alarm recommendations specifically for ICU units. By sifting through this data, CalmWave pinpoints which alarms are truly essential and which can be adjusted, allowing for a controlled environment where alarms serve their true purpose.

Catalyst by Wellstar: Leading the Way in Patient and Caregiver Support

Through this collaboration, Catalyst by Wellstar is driving a transformation in how hospitals manage alarm fatigue, ultimately enhancing both patient and caregiver experiences. This is not just about reducing noise; it’s about fostering a calm, controlled environment that supports well-being and focuses on what truly matters: patient-centered care.

“We are focused on advancing healthcare technology that enhances both patient and team member experiences while prioritizing quality and safety,” said Dr. Hank Capps, EVP and Chief Information and Digital Officer for Wellstar Health System, and President of Catalyst by Wellstar.

This isn’t the first time that Catalyst has supported innovation that addresses the sound experience for patients and clinical staff members. In 2022, Spatial, an award winning immersive audio program was brought into Wellstar.

Our hospitals and health parks now have 16 Wellness Rooms, four equipped with Spatial’s immersive sound technology, offering soundscapes from jungles to ocean depths. These soundscapes, with low-frequency pulses to soothe the nervous system, help team members relax by entraining brain waves. Early feedback is strong: 95% report a positive mental impact and plan to return, with mental state improvements of over 30%. Additionally, 84% would recommend it to colleagues. Wellstar is exploring this immersive sound technology for patient care areas, including emergency rooms, NICUs, and chemotherapy bays.

You can close your eyes, but your ears are always listening! Hearing is our ever-present sense—an unstoppable stream of information, even when we’re not trying to listen. That’s why we’re dedicated to transforming that constant experience into something truly supportive and impactful in a clinical setting.