When Alerts Become a Clinical Risk

This is part 2 of an 8-part series.

From Alert Overload to Intelligent Care is a data-driven series examining how cardiac remote monitoring is evolving to meet the realities of modern care. As alert volumes grow and care teams face increasing clinical and operational pressure, this series explores the evidence behind smarter monitoring workflows – including AI-assisted triage – and what they mean for patient safety, clinician well-being, and long-term sustainability. Each article focuses on real-world challenges, validated data, and practical insights.

The challenge of remote monitoring is not simply the number of alerts – it is that most alerts are not clinically actionable. Studies consistently show that only about 40% of remote device alerts require clinical intervention, while the majority represent benign or self-resolving events.²,³

This imbalance creates alert fatigue, a well-recognized patient safety concern across healthcare.¹ When clinicians are inundated with low-value alerts, attention becomes fragmented, increasing the risk that important signals may be delayed or overlooked.¹⁴

Alert fatigue also affects care teams personally. Constant exposure to non-urgent alerts contributes to stress, frustration, and burnout among device nurses, APPs, and electrophysiologists. Professional guidance notes that unscheduled transmissions now account for up to 40% of remote monitoring workload, adding unpredictable demand to already full schedules.⁴ Addressing alert fatigue is essential to protecting both patient safety and workforce sustainability.

Learn more about strategies to reduce alert fatigue and improve clinical focus in our Learning Center.

References

1. Sendelbach S, Funk M. Alarm fatigue: a patient safety concern. AACN Advanced Critical Care.
2. Boriani G, et al. Clinical relevance of device-detected arrhythmias and alert burden. Europace.
3. Crossley GH, et al. Clinical benefits of remote versus transtelephonic monitoring. JACC.
4. Heart Rhythm Society. Practical guidance for managing remote device clinics.

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