Yesterday, I read this in Num Lock News (Dec. 3):
Alarming
Hospitals now resemble the soundscape of a particularly slow McDonald's, with dozens of alarms screeching at any given point for no particular reason. Thousands of alarms go off in a hospital every day, but hospital accreditation organization The Joint Commission estimated 85 percent to 99 percent of alarms don't actually require any intervention. That alarm fatigue means physicians may miss out on actually consequential alarms. It's really quite bad: The number of medical devices that generate alarms rose from 10 devices thirty years ago to almost 40 today, with a breathing ventilator alone capable of 30 to 40 different noises, which essentially makes it a Furby attached to a respirator. A 2006 study found in the level below intensive care, 350 alarms went off per patient per day, which is roughly enough to stir me awake most mornings. Now hospitals are investing in software to prioritize the alarms, which sounds great until you realize that's just going to make more alarms.
Melissa Bailey, Kaiser Health News
I hope you know the story of the boy who cried "Wolf!" Cry "Wolf!" falsely enough times and you and your alarm will lose credibility. We will ignore your alarm. A while back, we visited friends and Jane wanted to be notified when the rolls were done and needed to be taken out of the oven. Jane is no dummy and showed up with the timer clipped to her blouse. Clever! No matter when she goes, she is going to know when time's up.
Of course, having fourteen alarms clipped to her would be unwieldy. Besides, it would take too long to figure out what the dinging signaled. See, even multitaskers can't take on, remember, and stay aware of too much. There are many valuable things to pay attention to, but don't over do it. Better to simply buy a good cheesecake than to task yourself with too many tasks to handle. A little sacrifice, a little humility can really help.
