Attention capture by own name decreases with speech compression.

Auditory stimuli that are relevant to a listener have the potential to capture focal attention even when unattended, the listener's own name being a particularly effective stimulus. We report two experiments to test the attention-capturing potential of the listener's own name in normal speech and time-compressed speech. In Experiment 1, 39 participants were tested with a visual word categorization task with uncompressed spoken names as background auditory distractors.

Effects of multitasking on interpreting a spearcon sequence display for monitoring multiple patients.

Spearcons are time-compressed speech phrases. When arranged in a sequence representing vital signs of multiple patients, spearcons may be more informative than conventional auditory alarms. However, multiple resource theory suggests that certain timeshared tasks might interfere with listeners' ability to understand spearcons.

Incremental advances will improve medical device alarm sounds.

The March issue contains a laboratory study of auditory perception, which is an unusual topic for this journal. A perspective is provided on how the study relates to recent research on clinical auditory alarms and displays. Techniques used in the study are explored and explained, such as enrolment of non-clinician volunteer participants, use of coordinate response measure phrase stimuli, presentation of sound loudness levels using the decibel scale, and analysis using signal detection theory.

Evaluating enhanced pulse oximetry auditory displays for neonatal oxygen targeting: A randomized laboratory trial with clinicians and non-clinicians.

Standard pulse oximeter auditory tones do not clearly indicate departures from the target range of oxygen saturation (SpO) of 90%-95% in preterm neonates. We tested whether acoustically enhanced tones would improve participants' ability to identify SpO range. Twenty-one clinicians and 23 non-clinicians used (1) standard pulse oximetry variable-pitch tones plus alarms; (2) beacon-enhanced tones without alarms in which reference tones were inserted before standard pulse tones when SpO was outside target range; and (3) tremolo-enhanced tones without alarms in which pulse tones were modified with tremolo when SpO was outside target range.

Auditory Sequences Presented With Spearcons Support Better Multiple Patient Monitoring Than Single-Patient Alarms: A Preclinical Simulation.

Objective: A study of auditory displays for simulated patient monitoring compared the effectiveness of two sound categories (alarm sounds indicating general risk categories from international alarm standard IEC 60601-1-8 event-specific sounds according to the type of nursing unit) and two configurations (single-patient alarms multi-patient sequences).

Background: Fieldwork in speciality-focused high dependency units (HDU) indicated that auditory alarms are ambiguous and do not identify which patient has a problem. We tested whether participants perform better using auditory displays that identify the relevant patient and problem.

Signaling Patient Oxygen Desaturation with Enhanced Pulse Oximetry Tones.

Manufacturers could improve the pulse tones emitted by pulse oximeters to support more accurate identification of a patient's peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) range. In this article, we outline the strengths and limitations of the variable-pitch tone that represents SpO2 of each detected pulse, and we argue that enhancements to the tone to demarcate clinically relevant ranges are feasible and desirable. The variable-pitch tone is an appreciated and trusted feature of the pulse oximeter's user interface.

Attention to Changes on a Head-Worn Display: Two Preclinical Studies with Healthcare Scenarios.

Objective: In two experiments, we examined how quickly different visual alerts on a head-worn display (HWD) would capture participants' attention to a matrix of patient vital sign values, while multitasking.

Background: An HWD could help clinicians monitor multiple patients, regardless of where the clinician is located. We sought effective ways for HWDs to alert multitasking wearers to important events.

The Use of Head-Worn Displays for Vital Sign Monitoring in Critical and Acute Care: Systematic Review.

Background: Continuous monitoring of patient vital signs may improve patient outcomes. Head-worn displays (HWDs) can provide hands-free access to continuous vital sign information of patients in critical and acute care contexts and thus may reduce instances of unrecognized patient deterioration.

Objective: The purpose of the study is to conduct a systematic review of the literature to evaluate clinical, surrogate, and process outcomes when clinicians use HWDs for continuous patient vital sign monitoring.

Spearcon compression levels influence the gap in comprehension between untrained and trained listeners.

Auditory alarms in hospitals are ambiguous and do not provide enough information to support doctors and nurses' awareness of patient events. A potential alternative is the use of short segments of time-compressed speech, or However, sometimes it might be desirable for patients to understand spearcons and sometimes not. We used reverse hierarchy theory to hypothesize that there will be a degree of compression where spearcons are intelligible for trained listeners but not for untrained listeners.

Evaluation of an enhanced pulse oximeter auditory display: a simulaion study.

Background: We compared anaesthetists' ability to identify haemoglobin oxygen saturation (SpO) levels using two auditory displays: one based on a standard pulse oximeter display (varying pitch plus alarm) and the other enhanced with additional sound properties (varying pitch plus tremolo and acoustic brightness) to differentiate SpO ranges.

Methods: In a counter-balanced crossover study in a simulator, 20 experienced anaesthetists supervised a junior colleague (an actor) managing two airway surgery scenarios: once while using the enhanced auditory display and once while using a standard auditory display. Participants were distracted with other tasks such as paperwork and workplace interruptions, but were required to identify when SpO transitioned between pre-set ranges (target, low, critical) and when other vital signs transitioned out of a target range.

The impact of concurrent linguistic tasks on participants' identification of spearcons.

Spearcons (time-compressed speech) may be a viable auditory display for patient monitoring; however, the impact of concurrent linguistic tasks remains unexamined. We tested whether different concurrent linguistic tasks worsen participants' identification of spearcons. Experiment 1 tested non-clinician participants' identification of multiple-patient spearcons representing 2 vital signs of 5 patients while participants performed no concurrent task, reading, or saying linguistic tasks.

Comparison of Standard and Enhanced Pulse Oximeter Auditory Displays of Oxygen Saturation: A Laboratory Study With Clinician and Nonclinician Participants.

Background: When engaged in visually demanding tasks, anesthesiologists depend on the auditory display of the pulse oximeter (PO) to provide information about patients' oxygen saturation (SpO2). Current auditory displays are not always effective at providing SpO2 information. In this laboratory study, clinician and nonclinician participants identified SpO2 parameters using either a standard auditory display or an auditory display enhanced with additional acoustic properties while performing distractor tasks and in the presence of background noise.

Smooth or Stepped? Laboratory Comparison of Enhanced Sonifications for Monitoring Patient Oxygen Saturation.

Background: The pulse oximeter (PO) provides anesthesiologists with continuous visual and auditory information about a patient's oxygen saturation (SpO). However, anesthesiologists' attention is often diverted from visual displays, and clinicians may inaccurately judge SpO values when relying on conventional PO auditory tones. We tested whether participants could identify SpO value (e.

Monitoring vital signs with time-compressed speech.

Spearcons-time-compressed speech phrases-may be an effective way of communicating vital signs to clinicians without disturbing patients and their families. Four experiments tested the effectiveness of spearcons for conveying oxygen saturation (SpO2) and heart rate (HR) of one or more patients. Experiment 1 demonstrated that spearcons were more effective than earcons (abstract auditory motifs) at conveying clinical ranges.

The Impact of Head-Worn Displays on Strategic Alarm Management and Situation Awareness.

Objective: To investigate whether head-worn displays (HWDs) help mobile participants make better alarm management decisions and achieve better situation awareness than alarms alone.

Background: Patient alarms occur frequently in hospitals but often do not require clinical intervention. Clinicians may become desensitized to alarms and fail to respond to clinically relevant alarms.

Detection of visual stimuli on monocular peripheral head-worn displays.

Objective: To compare people's ability to detect peripherally presented stimuli on a monocular head-worn display (HWD) versus a conventional screen.

Background: Visual attention capture has been systematically investigated, but not with respect to HWDs. How stimulus properties affect attention capture is likely to be different on an HWD when compared to a traditional computer display.

Using a Sequence of Earcons to Monitor Multiple Simulated Patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether a sequence of earcons can effectively convey the status of multiple processes, such as the status of multiple patients in a clinical setting.

Background: Clinicians often monitor multiple patients. An auditory display that intermittently conveys the status of multiple patients may help.

Improving the detectability of oxygen saturation level targets for preterm neonates: A laboratory test of tremolo and beacon sonifications.

Recent guidelines recommend oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels of 90%-95% for preterm neonates on supplemental oxygen but it is difficult to discern such levels with current pulse oximetry sonifications. We tested (1) whether adding levels of tremolo to a conventional log-linear pulse oximetry sonification would improve identification of SpO2 ranges, and (2) whether adding a beacon reference tone to conventional pulse oximetry confuses listeners about the direction of change. Participants using the Tremolo (94%) or Beacon (81%) sonifications identified SpO2 range significantly more accurately than participants using the LogLinear sonification (52%).

The Sounds of Desaturation: A Survey of Commercial Pulse Oximeter Sonifications.

Background: The pulse oximeter has been a standard of care medical monitor for >25 years. Most manufacturers include a variable-pitch pulse tone in their pulse oximeters. Research has shown that the acoustic properties of variable-pitch tones are not standardized.

Novel Pulse Oximetry Sonifications for Neonatal Oxygen Saturation Monitoring: A Laboratory Study.

Objective: We aimed to test whether the use of novel pulse oximetry sounds (sonifications) better informs listeners when a neonate's oxygen saturation (SpO2) deviates from the recommended range.

Background: Variable-pitch pulse oximeters do not accurately inform clinicians via sound alone when SpO2 is outside the target range of 90% to 95% for neonates on supplemental oxygen. Risk of blindness, organ damage, and death increase if SpO2 remains outside the target range.

The risk and outcomes of epidural hematomas after perioperative and obstetric epidural catheterization: a report from the Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group Research Consortium.

Background: In this study, we sought to determine the frequency and outcomes of epidural hematomas after epidural catheterization.

Methods: Eleven centers participating in the Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group used electronic anesthesia information systems and quality assurance databases to identify patients who had epidural catheters inserted for either obstetrical or surgical indications. From this cohort, patients undergoing laminectomy for the evacuation of hematoma within 6 weeks of epidural placement were identified.