ECRI Institute has debuted a service to help hospitals meet The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goal on alarm management by the January 1, 2016 deadline. The so-called Alarm Readiness Validation service offers an onsite evaluation by ECRI staff to evaluate the progress hospitals have made thus far toward the requirements, and where they need to take steps toward improvement.

“Our new service aims to help hospital administrators improve patient safety and meet The Joint Commission’s requirements,” says Rob Maliff, director, applied solutions, ECRI Institute. “Hospitals should be getting nervous, because eight months is barely enough time to meet these requirements, especially if they have yet to address the gaps in their alarm practices.”

The service entails a comprehensive approach, including:

  • Interviews with top hospital administrators and clinical staff, such as the chief nursing officer, chief medical officer, and directors or managers of departments such as critical care, cardiac telemetry, and nursing
  • Assessment of the hospital’s progress toward making alarm safety a top priority
  • Review of steps taken to establish alarm policies and procedures and educate staff, as specified in elements 3 and 4 of the National Patient Safety Goal

Following ECRI’s onsite review, the association will meet with hospital administrators to discuss their findings and recommend next steps. For more information, visit ECRI Institute.