Constant Observation in the General Hospital

Abstract

Constant observation (CO) is a technique in which continuous one-to-one monitoring is used to assure the safety and well-being of an individual patient or others. This study reviewed 115 patient charts in a tertiary-care hospital to determine the correlates and predictors of the financial cost of CO. The mean duration for CO was 13.9 days with a median of 7.5 days. The cost average was $3,415 per incident with a range of $144-$68,500. The median cost was $1,872. The most common diagnosis was organic mental syndrome. Significant predictors of CO were disorientation, psychiatric medication used, and absence of alcohol use.