Alarm fatigue is a pervasive contributor to distractions and error. This discussion examines how, while minimizing nuisance alarms is important, those efforts need to be accompanied by safety culture enhancements to realize lasting progress toward alarm reduction.

Patient safety concerns in community pharmacies have been documented in the media. This study sought to examine the association of working conditions and patient safety. Results indicate that while all participants reported negative company climate and workflow, those in chain pharmacies reported significantly more fear of speaking up about patient safety issues than those in independent, big box, or grocery pharmacies.

This study explored the relationship between nursing workload and turbulence, or unexpected work complexities and activities. Using responses from a survey of members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, the authors identified several types of turbulence, such as changes in acuity, interruptions, distractions, lack of training, and administrative demands. They found that turbulence was strongly correlated with patient safety risk whereas workload had the weakest association. Acknowledging the difference between nursing workload and turbulence can enhance our ability to target resources in nursing care and improve patient outcomes.  

This commentary discusses how interruptions can affect medication safety and outlines a five-step guide to help clinicians determine if and when they should interrupt.