The Telemetry unit at Banner Good Samaritan helps ease a patient’s transition from Intensive Care or Surgery to recovery. When a patient is admitted to the Telemetry unit, his physician and other caregivers have decided he is ready to move to the next level of care. The patient requires less additional oxygen, is eating and able to increase his activity level. Continuous bedside monitoring and one-on-one nursing (provided while in Intensive Care) is no longer required which means the patient is doing well.

During telemetry monitoring, patients typically wear a heart monitor (a small box that weighs less than one pound) that sends signals to the nurses' station where a technician observes the heart rate and rhythm. Nurses monitor vital signs, weight measurements and fluid levels to provide the best standard of care to patients.

Telemetry nurses have chosen to specialize in the treatment of heart patients. They receive ongoing education in this specialty area. The increased level of monitoring that happens in Banner Good Samaritan’s Telemetry unit means patients may be attached to machines different than those found in a typical hospital suite. The Telemetry nurses strive to make each patient as comfortable as possible during their stay.