Health devices
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Physiologic monitoring systems, which monitor vital physiologic parameters so that clinicians can be informed of changes in a patient's condition, typically consist of several distinct components, including a central station, bedside monitors, and ambulatory telemetry transmitters and receivers. For this study, rather than focusing on how each component performs individually, we evaluated how the entire system functions as a whole to better parallel the acquisition practices followed by most hospitals. ⋯ We rated the evaluated systems based on their capabilities for each of six applications: critical care unit, emergency department, intermediate care unit and general medical/surgical floor, operating room, postanesthesia care unit, and transport. We found that many of the systems are suitable for some applications, but are unable to meet the requirements for others.