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Constant observation in the general hospital
M Blumenfield1, J Milazzo, B Orlowski
1Department of Psychiatry, Behavioral Health Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla 10595, USA. ronellan@aol.com
Psychosomatics
|July 25, 2000
Summary
Constant observation (CO), a one-to-one patient monitoring technique, incurs significant costs, averaging $3,415 per incident. Key predictors of higher financial cost include disorientation and psychiatric medication use.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Patient Safety
- Clinical Economics
Background:
- Constant observation (CO) involves continuous one-to-one patient monitoring to ensure safety.
- The financial implications of implementing CO are not well-defined.
- Understanding CO cost drivers is crucial for resource allocation in hospitals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify correlates and predictors of the financial cost associated with constant observation.
- To analyze the economic impact of CO in a tertiary-care hospital setting.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 115 patient charts requiring constant observation.
- Statistical analysis to determine significant predictors of CO financial cost.
Main Results:
- The average cost of CO was $3,415 per incident, with a wide range ($144-$68,500).
- Mean CO duration was 13.9 days; median was 7.5 days.
- Significant predictors of higher CO cost included patient disorientation, use of psychiatric medication, and absence of alcohol use. Organic mental syndrome was the most common diagnosis.
Conclusions:
- Patient factors like disorientation and medication significantly influence CO costs.
- Further research into cost-effective CO implementation strategies is warranted.
- Accurate cost prediction can aid in hospital financial planning and patient care management.