A mthod and system to reduce the nuisance alarm load in the clinical setting

A medical method comprising:

• receiving and/or generating physiological alarms for patients;
• establishing an alarm rate limit for the patients, and/or alarm response limits for clinician response times, based on a clinical alarm management policy;
• analyzing the received and/or generated physiological alarms to determine at least one of:
• patients exceeding the alarm rate limit;
• and,
• clinicians exceeding the alarm response limits.

A medical system comprising:

• a plurality of patient monitors each associated with a patient and each including one or more sensors to collect physiological data of the patient, the plurality of patient monitors configured to one or more of:
• 1) transmit physiological alarms based on the physiological data to a central station;
• and 2) transmit the physiological data to the central station;
• the central station including at least one processor programmed to:
• one or more of:
• 1) receive the physiological alarms from the plurality of patient monitor;
• and 2) receive the physiological data from the plurality of patient monitors and generate physiological alarms based on the received physiological data;
• establish an alarm rate limit for the patients, ands'or alarm response limits for clinician response times, based on a clinical alarm management policy;
• analyze the received and/or generated physiological alarms to determine at least one of:
• patients exceeding the alarm rate limit;
• and,
• clinicians exceeding the alarm response limits.