Abstract:Background Overuse of cardiac telemetry monitoring (telemetry) can lead to alarm fatigue, discomfort for patients, and unnecessary medical costs. Currently there are evidence-based recommendations describing appropriate telemetry use, but many providers are unaware of these guidelines.
Objectives At our multihospital health system, our goal was to support providers in ordering telemetry on acute care in accordance with evidence-based guidelines and discontinuing telemetry when it was no longer medica… Show more
Aim
In-hospital telemetry monitoring has been an integrated part of arrhythmia monitoring for decades. A substantial proportion of patients require arrhythmia monitoring during stays in non-intensive care units. However, studies exploring patients’ experiences of telemetry monitoring are scarce. Therefore, the aim was to explore and describe patients’ experiences of in-hospital telemetry monitoring in a non-intensive care setting.
Methods and results
Twenty face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Interviews were conducted before discharge at two university hospitals in Norway. The patients were purposively sampled, resulting in a well-balanced population comprising 11 men and 9 women, mean age 62 years (range, 25–83). Average monitoring time was 9 days (3-14). Data were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and coded using NVivo software. Qualitative content analysis using an inductive approach was performed. Patients expressed a need for individualised information during telemetry monitoring. Their feelings of safety were related to responses from nurses from the central monitoring station when alarms from the telemetry were triggered. Despite perceived physical restrictions and psychological limitations associated with telemetry monitoring, they found monitoring to be beneficial because it facilitated the diagnosis of arrhythmia. Moreover, they expressed a need for improvements in wearable monitoring equipment. Patients expressed ambivalent feelings about discontinuing the telemetry and their readiness for discharge.
Conclusion
Patients need individualised information about the results of their telemetry monitoring in order to better understand the arrhythmia management, and to increase their experience of safety after discharge. The limitations patients experienced should be taken into consideration in further upgrades of telemetry monitoring equipment.
Registration
eProtokoll (ID: 3847)
Aim
In-hospital telemetry monitoring has been an integrated part of arrhythmia monitoring for decades. A substantial proportion of patients require arrhythmia monitoring during stays in non-intensive care units. However, studies exploring patients’ experiences of telemetry monitoring are scarce. Therefore, the aim was to explore and describe patients’ experiences of in-hospital telemetry monitoring in a non-intensive care setting.
Methods and results
Twenty face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Interviews were conducted before discharge at two university hospitals in Norway. The patients were purposively sampled, resulting in a well-balanced population comprising 11 men and 9 women, mean age 62 years (range, 25–83). Average monitoring time was 9 days (3-14). Data were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and coded using NVivo software. Qualitative content analysis using an inductive approach was performed. Patients expressed a need for individualised information during telemetry monitoring. Their feelings of safety were related to responses from nurses from the central monitoring station when alarms from the telemetry were triggered. Despite perceived physical restrictions and psychological limitations associated with telemetry monitoring, they found monitoring to be beneficial because it facilitated the diagnosis of arrhythmia. Moreover, they expressed a need for improvements in wearable monitoring equipment. Patients expressed ambivalent feelings about discontinuing the telemetry and their readiness for discharge.
Conclusion
Patients need individualised information about the results of their telemetry monitoring in order to better understand the arrhythmia management, and to increase their experience of safety after discharge. The limitations patients experienced should be taken into consideration in further upgrades of telemetry monitoring equipment.
Registration
eProtokoll (ID: 3847)
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