Background: The number of hospitals with dedicated observation units has grown in recent years to one-third of all United States hospitals and 80% of academic medical centers, though much is still unknown about how to best deliver care in this setting. At our institution, syncope is among the most common indications for admission to the [...]

Background: Observation units were initially intended to function as a short stay unit for lower acuity patients with specific diagnoses, however this traditional model is currently evolving.  Rising health care costs and changing health care policy have resulted in an increase utilization of the observation unit and an expansion of diagnostic criteria to include more [...]