Knox Private Hospital and Rauland Australia conducted a proof-of-concept trial of a silent ward environment in the Chesterfield ward, an in-patient cardiology ward at Knox Private Hospital in Victoria Australia. 

The silent ward concept has gained much traction over the past few years in Australia. Healthcare providers and patients are exposed to hundreds of alarms each shift, most of them nonactionable to the majority who hear them or avoidable in general. The Authors Ruskan et al state that the number heard may be as high as 1000 per shift¹. 

This can lead to staff becoming desensitised, which in turn can lead to a delayed or inadequate response to alarms, known as alarm fatigue. The US Food and Drug Administration reported over 500 alarm-related patient deaths between 2005 and 2008 prompting several health organisations to focus on highlighting and improving the issue. 

Patients can also have their sleep and relaxation disrupted by the alarms leading to poorer health outcomes and lower satisfaction with clinical services. Clinical solutions, such as those provided by Rauland Australia, can control alarm flows and alarm noise, and can help to mitigate this potentially life-threatening problem. 

The trial compared patient and staff satisfaction with the existing alarm-based Nurse Call system in the Chesterfield ward (control) to the reconfigured silent Nurse Call system produced by Rauland (intervention) and the average alarm noise saving.