Telemetry monitoring is the monitoring and analyzing of data that are received at a distance from their source. It usually refers to a certain way of monitoring a hospital patient's heart activity, but it is also the way in which information is received from spaceships and orbiting satellites, among other things. In the context of cardiac monitoring, it serves the same purpose as an ordinary heart monitor, with the difference being that the patient is fitted with a transmitter which sends the data to the area of the hospital where the telemetry monitoring occurs.

One of the main advantages of telemetry monitoring, as it is used in hospitals, is that it allows the patient to get up and move around, at least within the device's transmitting range. In many cases, this is highly preferable to having a patient confined to a bed so that his heart's activity can be observed. Telemetry monitoring has been the subject of a small amount of controversy within the medical community, however. Some physicians feel that it is overused, and have even suggested discontinuing the practice.

Most physicians do agree, however, that telemetry monitoring can be highly valuable for some patients, particularly those going through a physical rehabilitation process. It allows a patient whose recovery depends on movement to pursue that recovery effectively, without his physicians having to give up the ability to monitor his heart. This extra security measure is a great advantage for many patients.

Those who make a living by doing telemetry monitoring in a hospital usually act in the capacity of a nurse's assistant. Information received by the system is observed and tracked by a telemetry monitor, who will alert the nursing staff if any negative changes occur with a patient. The ability to make quick decisions and take detailed notes is essential for someone working as a telemetry monitor.

Of course, monitoring the condition of patients' hearts is not the only application for telemetry monitoring. Almost anything that needs to be constantly or periodically monitored can be observed in this way from a distance. This includes not only tracking objects in space, as earlier noted, but also remote observation of power plants, the reading of gas and electric meters, and the tracking of endangered species in the wild. Weather data can also be gathered in this way, to provide real-time information and computer models, ideally leading to more specific and accurate forecasts.