Future generations of vital signs and point-of-care medical devices must interoperate directly and seamlessly with information technology systems to facilitate effective patient care management within the healthcare enterprise. This is the first book addressing medical device integration with the computer-based patient record in a holistic way. Readers step into the area of two-way device communication & control and learn best practises from an author known for his brilliant expertise in this field. It is a fundamental guide for a broad group of people: clinical and biomedical engineers, physicians, bioinformatics practitioners, and vendors.

Providing the essential how-to for medical device integration into the electronic medical record (EMR), health information system (HIS), and computerized patient record (CPR), the book highlights information on data extraction, usually not offered by device vendors. This comprises topics such as the use of third-party software, information on what to do when you develop interfaces on your own, regulatory issues, and how to assure connectivity and access to data.

For physicians, it is a primer and knowledge manual for data integration when applied to clinical care and trials. It gives information on knowledge management and how data can be used statistically and as a tool in patient care management. Furthermore, it impresses upon the reader the quantities of data that must be processed and reduced to make for effective use at the point of care.

HIS and CPR vendors may learn how data integration can be simplified and how software developers may be assisted in the process of communicating vital information to their repositories.

The book is rounded off by a chapter on the future of integration.