
394 | CHAPTER 22 Informatics Tools to Promote Patient Safety
New technologies to improve patient monitoring include wearable devices
and wireless area networks, variously called “body area networks” or “patient
area networks.” The technologies provide the ability to wear a small unobtrusive
monitor that collects and transmits physiologic data via a cell phone to a server
for clinician review. Although most of these technologies are designed for mon-
itoring chronic disease, they also have safety implications because they help to
identify early warning physiologic signs of impeding serious health events
(California Healthcare Foundation, 2007). A wireless ...