To a large extent computer based monitoring and intensive care unit systems have become cheap enough to be deployed on a large scale in many intensive care units around the world. The bedside has become an important point of displaying data. Bedside monitors have capabilities of intelligent monitoring, intelligent alarming, plug and play modules, TCP/IP and Ethernet networking and many other features provide easy, integrated monitoring in any facility. The systems often provide database and analysis functions that previously only was available on large systems. Most bedside monitors sold today can incorporate data from clinical laboratories, bedside laboratories devices. The drawbacks of these features are that they usually have proprietary communications protocols and data acquisition schemes.
