A patient monitor is a medical device used for monitoring the health status of patients. Patient monitors are also called medical monitors or physiological monitors. Patient monitors typically consist of one or more sensors, display devices (which are sometimes in themselves called "monitors"), processing components, and communication links for displaying or recording the results elsewhere through a monitoring network.

Patient monitors are utilized in a wide range of inpatient and outpatient environments including conscious sedation, respiratory therapy, sleep, emergency medical services, and transport. Patient monitors are important because they can assist in providing for patient comfort and can reduce the risk of infection and other complications.

Patient monitors have become vital to care in operating and emergency rooms, intensive care and critical care units. Additionally, patient monitors have proven invaluable for respiratory therapy, recovery rooms, out-patient care, transport, radiology, cath labs, gastroenterology departments, ambulatory, home, and sleep screening applications.