Bioinstrumentation in the care of the neonate.

There are many things to consider when deciding upon the various instruments to use to monitor a newborn. The availability of these monitoring devices should be considered a boon both to the care of the sick newborn and to the nurse, for the data collection process is greatly enhanced in efficiency and accuracy. Nurses have assumed increasing responsibility for data collection, and with the aid of a variety of monitoring systems they will be better able to perform this task. They will also be left with more time for data synthesis and other aspects of patient care. The small amount of time that is necessary to check the machines for safety and functioning is well compensated for by the amount of data derived. The data contribute vastly to the maintenance of homeostasis and the early detection of problems in the neonate.