Need for a new paradigm in the design of alarms for patient monitors and medical devices

Modern computerised medical devices emit large numbers of tone-based alerts and alarms. Notifications that comprise auditory icons or natural human speech substantially increase the psychological salience of alerts and alarms and may allow a larger set of notifications to be used, as they do not require memorisation of arbitrary sounds.

Automated summary

Modern computerized medical devices emit a large number of tone-based alerts and alarms, with auditory icons or natural human speech notifications increasing their psychological impact and allowing for a larger set of notifications to be used without the need for memorization of arbitrary sounds.