"Obs Stable" Is Vague And Should Not Exist In Hospital Notes

Editor's Choice
Academic Journal
Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 20 Dec 2011 - 16:00 PST


According to an article published in the Christmas issue published on bmj.com today, the phrase "obs stable" in hospital notes is vague and doesn't accurately reveal the health status of the patient.

The phrase can possibly mislead hospital staff and should not be used, instead observations should be written in full, argue Dr Gregory Scott and his team.

The phrase is written in hospital notes to let staff know there were no alarming problems with a patient during observation. When examining patients, abnormalities in these observations act as an alarm for doctors.

In order to find out if the phrase is too liberal, Dr. Scott and his team measured the range of observations that were noted as "stable". The team reviewed the notes and nursing observation charts of 46 patients across three teaching hospitals in London.

In 78% of the notes reviewed they discovered that at least one "stable" entry. 24 hours after a "stable" entry at least one abnormality was reported in almost 71% of cases and at least one persistent abnormality in almost 19% of cases.

Rapid breathing and low blood pressure were the most prevalent abnormalities. The researchers found that in some cases the range of observation over a 24-hour period that were noted as "stable" additionally exceeded normal values for diurnal variation.

The researchers argue that the meaning of the phrase is ambiguous and does not accurately indicate normality.

According to the team their discoveries are preliminary and doctors should stop using the phase. They explain that observations should be written in full, or qualify it by adding "for the X hours."

Written by Grace Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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