Patient+Monitoring

Aarti Good source of information - interesting.

Maybe it would be easier to read / understand if specific points or areas are identified and some paragraphs are rewritten in bullet points.

I think there is more information for monitoring patients at home that could be added. (http://www.primidi.com/2005/02/27.html and others)

It would be interesting to add a section identifying advantages / disadvantages or implications for doctors, patients, familiy and others written in your own words. Also some pictures of specifc use of equipment (eg monitoring mother / baby or monitoring elderly at home) would make it stay in your mind!

Great work

Elizabeth

__Patient Monitoring__ Patient monitoring refers to the act of scrutinizing, checking or supervising patient systematically with a view to collecting certain specified categories of data. Patient monitoring is commonly known in the ICU, but it also includes portable units patients can take home in order to get a more accurate table of information. For more information, visit: http://www.smiths-medical.com/products/patient-monitoring There are different specific devices to fit the need of every patient. For example, there is a special branch of monitors which focuses on intrapartum and there is another branch of monitors which focuses on heart problems. This machine offers fetal and maternal monitoring for obstetrical departments in offices, clinics, and hospitals. It integrates monitoring of maternal blood pressure and pulse rate with measurement of multiple fetal heart rates and uterine activity. Efficiently designed, it is compact and easy to use and has power and performance features, including high-quality ultrasound. || __The advantages of intrapartum monitoring:__
 * = Electrode wiring ||= ICU - Intensive Care Unit ||= Obstetrical ||= Ultrasound ||
 * = Apnea ||= Intrapartum ||= Caesarian operation ||= Arrythmia ||
 * [[image:AvalonFM20_30productLarge.jpg width="312" height="236"]] || **Avalon FM20 Antepartum Monitor for attentive care and reassurance before childbirth and multiples monitoring capability.**
 * < * Doctors can know immediately when any problems arise and can take action quickly
 * It is essential to know how the mother's blood pressure and pulse rate are, as that can determine whether it's safe to induce labour or whether to wait.
 * Doctors can provide mothers with stabilizing medicines to ensure an easier and less painful delivery, and the way to know this is by using monitors.
 * Due to the ultrasound feature, doctors can notice if the baby is growing healthy and to know whethere the baby is ready to be delivered or if there are any complications which would require a Caesarian operation. This is crucial as without this knowledge, a tangled umbilical cord could result in the death of the baby if exposed to a natural birth.
 * Patient monitoring can reduce the risk of infection and other complications and doctors can provide more efficient care to the patients. ||< [[image:monitoringmother2.png width="191" height="353"]] ||

This machine supports tools such as Event Surveillance (electronic records of specific episodes for a patient), arrhythmia analysis, blood pressure measurement, heartbeats per minute and oxygen received. ||
 * [[image:mp90.jpg width="367" height="274"]] || **IntelliVue MP90**

The advantages of heart monitors are various. There are other specific monitoring equipments such as glucose meter, for people with diebetes. This has many advantages: > You can do it yourself without having to go daily to the doctor. || ||
 * * Doctors are able to know how the patient is doing at all times, and can detect if there is an irregular pattern during specific times ike for example after mealtimes. If this is the case, doctors could analyse this pattern and find out if it occurs due to a specific food or not, and this way they can give the patient the best care possible. Perhaps it is nothing major at the moment and the patient may not be aware of it, but this trend could develop and show that a patient is allergic to something which may later cause problems.
 * Doctors can know how the patient responds to certain medicines, as the monitors show us how they are all the time. In addition, if there is a case of lack of oxygen, a little alarm bell rings so that nurses in the ICU can provide the patient with oxygen. This is a great advantage, as in the case of lack of oxygen, patients are unable to cry out for help and it could prove to be a life threatening situation.
 * It is a relief for the family when they are able to see a stable heartbeat and normal blood pressure when they visit the patient. The family feels better which in turn makes the patient feel better, and this helps the patient to get better psychologically.
 * Older people can continue to do their work without being worried because if there is a problem, signals are quickly transmitted and actions can me taken immediately. This makes the family to feel more secure about this person's health. || [[image:ibm_health_monitor.gif]] ||
 * * It can help you to take more care about your diabetes as you know how your sugar level of your blood is
 * It helps you to know what gives you changes or your sugar level, eg: food, some activities, strees.
 * This helps you prevent to be healthy and avoid diabetic complications such as blindness and kidney failure.

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