There is provided a method and apparatus for adjusting a monitoring system which is arranged to receive measured values of a physiological characteristic of a subject and to generate an alarm when the received measured values meet at least one predefined alarm generation criterion. The method comprises obtaining data relating to a hospitalization of the subject, the data comprising a time of the hospitalization; obtaining a plurality of measured values of the physiological characteristic measured during a measurement period preceding the time of the hospitalization or a measurement period preceding and including the time of the hospitalization; defining a detection window as a time period ending with the time of the hospitalization and having a predetermined duration; determining whether the monitoring system would generate an alarm during the detection window based on applying the at least one predefined alarm generation criterion to the obtained plurality of measured values; and if the monitoring system would not generate an alarm during the detection window, altering the at least one predefined alarm generation criterion such that the time at which the monitoring system would generate an alarm based on applying the altered predefined alarm generation criterion to the obtained plurality of measured values is within the detection window.