Observation medicine in emergency medicine residency programs

Objective: To evaluate observation unit (OU) prevalence, emergency medicine (EM) resident exposure in observation medicine (OM), EM faculty/residency director (RD) OM training, and RD attitudes toward OM. Methods: Information was obtained from residency programs by telephone during a four-month period. Results: Survey respondents indicated that 36.1% have OUs and 44.9% plan to have an OU. Observation medicine resources include textbooks 32.0%, articles 45.9%, lectures 36.9%, fellowships 2.5%, and research 26.2%. Observation medicine patient care occurs: 1) during residency: 25.4% of RDs, 11.3% of entire faculty; 2) as an attending: 45.1% of RDs. Conclusions: Nearly two-thirds of EM programs have or are planning an OU. Resources are lagging behind. This survey describes current OM education strategies to teach OM. Key words: emergency medicine residents; observation medicine; observation units; academic emergency medicine.