When dealing with potential artifacts in waveforms, which approach is least effective?

The least effective approach when dealing with potential artifacts in waveforms is increasing patient movement. This strategy is counterproductive because movement introduces additional noise and variability into the signal, making it more difficult to interpret the true neural activity. In the context of neurophysiologic monitoring, artifacts are often generated by muscle contractions or other forms of physiological interference. Therefore, allowing or increasing patient movement could exacerbate the presence of these artifacts, leading to misleading data and potentially hampering surgical outcomes.

On the other hand, changing stimulation sites can help determine if the artifacts are specific to a particular area, using filtering techniques can help diminish unwanted frequencies, and monitoring device calibration ensures that the equipment is functioning correctly, all of which are effective strategies for reducing artifacts in waveforms. By maintaining patient stability and minimizing movement, the integrity of the recorded signals can be preserved, allowing for more accurate intraoperative monitoring.