Alarm fatigue in intensive care: relaxation and nature sounds show a benefit on scores

Two interventions compared with a control group

The researchers recruited 96 nurses working in intensive care at three hospitals in southern Iran. They randomly assigned them to three groups of 32 people: progressive muscle relaxation, exposure to nature sounds, or a control group.

Progressive muscle relaxation involves tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups in sequence. However, the abstract does not specify the duration or frequency of the sessions, or the conditions under which participants listened to the sounds. It also does not describe what the control group received.

Alarm fatigue was assessed using a validated scale before the intervention, immediately afterward, and two months later. The trial is described as single-blind, but the abstract does not indicate who was unaware of group assignments.

Lower scores, but an unknown magnitude of benefit

Both interventions resulted in significantly lower alarm fatigue scores than in the control group. No statistically significant difference was observed between muscle relaxation and nature sounds. This does not, however, demonstrate that they are equivalent.

The abstract provides neither mean scores, absolute differences between groups, nor confidence intervals. It is therefore impossible to determine whether the improvement represents a meaningful change in healthcare workers’ daily practice. It also does not detail the results at each assessment point, which limits interpretation of whether the benefit was maintained at two months.

A finding that does not demonstrate a better response to alerts

The authors’ conclusion refers to improved professional performance and greater patient safety. Yet the abstract reports no measurements of alarm response times, care errors, or adverse events in patients. A lower fatigue score is not enough to establish these benefits.

These results therefore offer a possible way to support nurses exposed to alarms, not proof that these interventions address the problem of the alerts themselves. Whether the findings can be generalized to other departments or hospital systems also remains uncertain.

What we can take away

Progressive muscle relaxation and nature sounds appear to reduce alarm fatigue scores in this trial. Their practical effect on vigilance and care safety remains to be demonstrated.