Background: In conditions of intensive therapy, where the patients treated are in a critical condition, alarms are omnipresent. Nurses, as they spend most of their time with patients, monitoring their condition 24 h, are particularly exposed to so-called alarm fatigue. The purpose of this study is to review the literature available on the perception of clinical alarms by nursing personnel and its impact on work in the ICU environment. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was carried out according to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) protocol. The content of electronic databases was searched through, i.e., PubMed, OVID, EBSCO, ProQuest Nursery, and Cochrane Library. The keywords used in the search included: “intensive care unit,” “nurse,” “alarm fatigue,” “workload,” and “clinical alarm.” The review also covered studies carried out among nurses employed at an adult intensive care unit. Finally, seven publications were taken into consideration. Data were analyzed both descriptively and quantitatively, calculating a weighted average for specific synthetized data. Results: In the analyzed studies, 389 nurses were tested, working in different intensive care units. Two studies were based on a quality model, while the other five described the problem of alarms in terms of quantity, based on the HTF (Healthcare Technology Foundation) questionnaire. Intensive care nurses think that alarms are burdensome and too frequent, interfering with caring for patients and causing reduced trust in alarm systems. They feel overburdened with an excessive amount of duties and a continuous wave of alarms. Having to operate modern equipment, which is becoming more and more advanced, takes time that nurses would prefer to dedicate to their patients. There is no clear system for managing the alarms of monitoring devices. Conclusion: Alarm fatigue may have serious consequences, both for patients and for nursing personnel. It is necessary to introduce a strategy of alarm management and for measuring the alarm fatigue level.

Background: Sleep disturbances in intensive care unit (ICU) patients have been studied worldwide for over 30 years. Factors contributing to sleep disturbances are still being identified, and therapeutic procedures aimed at the mitigation of such ailments are consequently being developed. Objectives: The aim of this study was to review the literature on sleep disturbances in intensive care unit patients. Material and Methods: MEDLINE PubMed, OVID, Web of Science, and EBSCO databases have been searched using adequate keywords. Results: Sleep disorders in ICUs were common among all of the analysed articles. Noise plays a significant role in sleep interruption (11.5 - 17% of awakenings). It was noted that the introduction of “white noise” into the ICU environment proved unsuccessful in reducing the magnitude of changing noise levels. Nursing care activities significantly disturb nocturnal rest, and 42.7 such procedures per every 12-hour night shift were registered. Aggregating nursing care interventions was suggested in order to reduce the number of stimuli experienced by the patient. Conclusion: Changes in sleep structure developing during an ICU stay may significantly contribute to sleep disorders once the hospitalisation is over.

Wstęp: Celem tego systematycznego przeglądu było podsumowanie obecnej literatury na temat upośledzenia funkcji poznawczych u osób dorosłych po zabiegach operacyjnych.Materiał i metody: Prześledzono bazy MEDLINE: PubMed, OVID, Web of Science, EBSCO, używając odpowiednich słów kluczowych. Dokonano przeglądu literatury na temat zaburzeń poznawczych po zabiegach operacyjnych oraz analizy czynników ryzyka wystąpienia POCD.Wyniki: Prześledzono wyniki z siedmiu artykułów opisujących badania neuropsychologiczne 2796 pacjen-tów. Testy przeprowadzane były w bardzo krótkim czasie od zabiegu (7 dni), krótkim czasie (3 miesięcy) oraz odległej perspektywie (12 – 60 miesięcy). POCD w bardzo krótkim czasie po operacji występowało z różną częstością: od 17 do 56% z tendencją do ustępowania w miarę upływu czasu (3 – 34,2%). Zidentyfikowano czynniki ryzyka POCD: zaawansowany wiek, insuliooporność, krótki okres kształcenia. Rodzaj operacji, znieczulenia oraz mikrozatorowość związana z użyciem CPB nie wpływają na występowanie POCD.Wnioski: Patomechanizm powstawania pooperacyjnych zaburzeń poznawczych nie jest do końca znany, jed-nak wydaje się, że należy skupić uwagę na poszukiwaniu pozaproceduralnych czynników ryzyka oraz opracować zalecenia postępowania okołooperacyjnego, co mogłoby być korzystne dla pacjen-tów zagrożonych upośledzeniem funkcji poznawczych po zabiegach operacyjnych.

Introduction: With the development of medical technology, clinical alarms from various medical devices, which are rapidly increasing, are becoming a new problem in intensive care units. The aim of this study was to evaluate alarm fatigue in Polish nurses employed in Intensive Care Units and identify the factors associated with alarm fatigue. Methods: A cross-sectional study. The study used the nurses’ alarm fatigue questionnaire by Torabizadeh. The study covered 400 Intensive Care Unit nurses. The data were collected from February to June 2021. Results: The overall mean score of alarm fatigue was 25.8 ± 5.8. Participation in training programs related to the use of monitoring devices available in the ward, both regularly (ß = −0.21) and once (ß = −0.17), negatively correlated with nurses’ alarm fatigue. On the other hand, alarm fatigue was positively associated with 12 h shifts [vs. 8 h shifts and 24 h shifts] (ß = 0.11) and employment in Intensive Cardiac Surveillance Units—including Cardiac Surgery [vs. other Intensive Care Units] (ß = 0.10). Conclusion: Monitoring device alarms constitute a significant burden on Polish Intensive Care Unit nurses, in particular those who do not take part in training on the operation of monitoring devices available in their ward. It is necessary to improve Intensive Care Unit personnel’s awareness of the consequences of overburdening and alarm fatigue, as well as to identify fatigue-related factors.

(1) Introduction: Sleep architecture of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients is altered, with over 60% of them reporting sleep disorders or even sleep deprivation during their stay. The aim of the study was to describe the experiences related to sleep and nighttime rest of patients hospitalized in the ICU. (2) Method: the study used a qualitative project based on phenomenology as a research method. A semi-structured interview was used as the method to achieve the goal. The patients’ answers were recorded and transcribed. The data were coded and cross-processed. (3) Results: twenty-three patients were surveyed, fifteen men and eight women. The average age was 49.7 years. The average time of hospitalization was 34.3 days. During the ICU stay, patients required mechanical ventilation through the tracheostomy tube. Five themes were identified from the interview as factors disturbing sleep: fear, noise, light, medical staff, and at home best. (4) Conclusions: chronic anxiety appears to contribute to sleep disturbances in the ICUs, psychological support, and individualized approach to the hospitalized patient seem necessary. By raising the awareness of the essence of sleep among medical staff, environmental factors can be reduced as disturbing sleep. Based on the participants’ comments, it is possible that repeated actions could also increase the patients’ sense of security.