Background and Identification
In medicine, monitoring is used for observing diseases, conditions, or other medical parameters over time. Monitoring can be performed by continuously measuring specific parameters using a medical monitor. For example, vital signs can be continuously measured with a bedside monitor. Monitoring can also be performed by repeatedly performing medical tests, though this method often requires more time and effort by medical personnel.
A medical monitor or physiological monitor is a medical device used for monitoring medical patients. A medical monitor can include one or more sensors, display devices (sometimes referred to as “monitors”), processing components, and communication links for recording or displaying results from the sensors through a monitoring network. Sensors of medical monitors include mechanical sensors and biosensors. The translating component of medical monitors converts the signals from the sensors to a format that can be displayed or transferred to an external display or recording device. Data is often displayed continuously on a screen as data channels along a time axis. Numerical readouts of computed parameters such as average, maximum, and minimum may accompany the original data. Medical monitors can also include a function to sound an alarm to alert medical staff when certain criteria are set.
Philips patient monitors generally include the name “Philips” in capital letters in the center of the display monitor’s bottom bezel. Other information like the model’s name or number is sometimes included on the monitor’s bezel.