Physiologic monitoring systems.

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 evaluated systems from eight suppliers, focusing primarily on adaptability, alarm implementation, and human factors design. We included only systems that offer (1) a central station that can concurrently receive information from bedside monitors and ambulatory telemetry transmitters, (2) one or more bedside monitors that can be used in critical care and intermediate care areas, as well as during transport, and (3) ambulatory telemetry monitoring. 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.