Pediatric observation units. Pediatrics 2012 Jul;130(1):172-9
Date
06/27/2012Pubmed ID
22732171DOI
10.1542/peds.2012-1358Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84863518042 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 19 CitationsAbstract
Pediatric observation units (OUs) are hospital areas used to provide medical evaluation and/or management for health-related conditions in children, typically for a well-defined, brief period. Pediatric OUs represent an emerging alternative site of care for selected groups of children who historically may have received their treatment in an ambulatory setting, emergency department, or hospital-based inpatient unit. This clinical report provides an overview of pediatric OUs, including the definitions and operating characteristics of different types of OUs, quality considerations and coding for observation services, and the effect of OUs on inpatient hospital utilization.
Author List
Conners GP, Melzer SM, Committee on Hospital Care, Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Betts JM, Chitkara MB, Jewell JA, Lye PS, Mirkinson LJ, Shaw KN, Ackerman AD, Chun TH, Conners GP, Dudley NC, Fein JA, Fuchs SM, Moore BR, Selbst SM, Wright JLMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
ChildDelivery of Health Care
Hospital Units
Hospitalization
Humans
Pediatrics
Quality Assurance, Health Care
United States
