Feeling stupid. What the heck is telemetry?

suzanne4, RN · Apr 3, 2004

Telemetry is the monitoring of a heart rhythm by mechanical means.

The patients that are on a telemetry unit can be patients that have unstable angina but need watching, recent cardiac surgery, and the list goes on. These are patients that DO NOT require intensive care unit nursing. Staffing on a telemetry unit is usually 4:1 instead of 6:1 as on med-surg floors. This can vary by hospital protocol...............

Hope that this helps.............. :balloons:

LesJenRN · Apr 3, 2004

Also, the monitoring equipment used for telemetry is not hardwired to a monitor....the patient wears a tele box which transmits the signal to a monitor which is usually at the nursing station....

live4today, RN · Apr 3, 2004

...............................staffing on a telemetry unit is usually 4:1 instead of 6:1 as on med-surg floors. this can vary by hospital protocol............

uhhhhhh...can i come work on your tele unit? i'd love to work tele where there are no more than 4 patients to one rn!

the med/surg telemetry unit i worked on all last year was a nightmare! the nurse patient ratio was six to seven patients to one rn, and if you had to cover the lpns, that meant more patients per rn. :eek:

Lys · Apr 3, 2004

Excellent question Meesa...it sounds like something from a fantasy novel or something *lol*

It is my understanding that telemetry is actually an ECG/EKG (though I dunno which acronym is right) heart monitor that is broadcast from something resembling a holter to a monitoring device in the hospital (for example, some floors have the monitor at the nurse's station, one hospital that I worked in had all the monitors in the CV-ICU and would call to the appropriate medical floor if there was a problem).

:-)

suzanne4, RN · Apr 3, 2004

uhhhhhh...can i come work on your tele unit? i'd love to work tele where there are no more than 4 patients to one rn!
the med/surg telemetry unit i worked on all last year was a nightmare! the nurse patient ratio was six to seven patients to one rn, and if you had to cover the lpns, that meant more patients per rn.

not working in the us now, but last year and the year before, whenever i worked tele it was max of 4 to a nurse, unless an emergency was going on....same thing when i used to live in arizona.................

guess i was the lucky one............. :balloons:

meesa214 · Apr 4, 2004

That definitely helps. Thanks guys!