title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Behavioral Health Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla 10595, USA. ronellan@aol.com
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blumenfield
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Milazzo
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Orlowski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D017721:Hospital Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000191:economics*; D009518:New York; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000191:economics*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000191:economics*; D012449:Safety / Q000191:economics*