The device that is known for being pressure-sensitive and aids in patient monitoring is a bedside monitor. Bedside monitors play a critical role in healthcare settings as they are designed to continuously monitor a patient's vital signs, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate. These devices often include pressure-sensitive components, which measure blood pressure non-invasively using cuff systems that inflate and deflate to assess the pressure in the arteries.
The effectiveness of bedside monitors hinges on their ability to provide real-time data about a patient's condition, which is crucial for making timely medical decisions. The pressure-sensitive technology built into these monitors helps healthcare professionals identify potential health issues promptly by indicating fluctuations in vital signs.
Although smartphones and televisions are helpful in various ways, they do not specifically serve the role of monitoring patient vital signs through pressure-sensitive technology. Alarms, while important for alerting staff of changes in a patient's condition, do not have the monitoring capabilities themselves as standalone devices; they simply signal when the parameters set on monitoring devices are breached. Thus, the bedside monitor is the appropriate choice here, as it encapsulates the function of being pressure-sensitive and integral to patient monitoring.