Monitor-Watcher Use, Nurses' Knowledge of Electrocardiographic Monitoring, and Arrhythmia Detection.

This was a secondary analysis of baseline data, not a randomised comparison of monitor watcher use, so it cannot show that monitor watchers caused the observed differences or lack of differences. The analysis included only cardiac units, so it may not apply to non-cardiac patients who are increasingly monitored with telemetry. The study did not collect data on monitor watcher training or the number of patients each watcher monitored, which could have affected the results. The unadjusted lower nurse knowledge score on units with monitor watchers was not significant after demographic variables were considered, so it should not be read as a direct effect of monitor watchers. The authors noted that the predetermined sample size may have lacked power to detect differences in accurate arrhythmia detection.

The supplied metadata indicates NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support. No author conflict-of-interest statement or sponsor role in study design or writing is provided in the text.

Do not read the unadjusted lower knowledge score as proof that monitor watchers harm nurse knowledge. After adjustment, the association was not significant, and the study did not show that watchers improve arrhythmia detection.