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The monitoring of hospital patients, with remarks on radio techniques
Author(s) -
Davis David A.
Publication year - 1964
Publication title -
clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.941
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1532-6535
pISSN - 0009-9236
DOI - 10.1002/cpt196455546
Subject(s) - instrumentation (computer programming) , forcing (mathematics) , computer science , criticism , telemetry , electromagnetic interference , telecommunications , risk analysis (engineering) , medicine , art , literature , climatology , geology , operating system
In the continuous analysis of clinical events, termed “monitoring,” progress has not kept apace of possibilities. Present equipment is subject to much criticism; the capabilities of competent phYSical scientists have not been utilized. Attitudes of usefulness have not created a market for instrumentation which could be designed and utilized. Little effort has gone into the design of instruments for a particular purpose; much effort has been devoted to forcing instruments to accept information for which it is not prepared. The physcian has been lax in setting standards which are acceptable to modern data processing systems. Confronted with masses of information, utilization of these facts may complicate matters. Radio techniques, utilized for many years in meteorology, aircraft control, and space efforts, have not been exploited in clinical monitoring. The present advantages are those of convenience and relative freedom from AC interference. Complexity and cost may not be added to the cost of data collection, provided there is proper engineering. Results in certain areas of electrocardiography, electroencephalography, electromyography, and GSR measurements suggest that radio telemetry may be the method of choice, prOVided its limitations are recognized.