Patients should not be scheduled as extended care patients. However, patients should be evaluated for the need for possible admission. Patients who are treated should be expected to be stabilized with release within 24 hours. Those patients who should be considered an extended care patient are those following a complication of an outpatient procedure; however, these patients are placed in observation only if a complication develops during or after the procedure that requires further care beyond the usual recovery period (e.g., 4-6 hours). It is important to note that “4 to 6 hours” is an example of a standard recovery period and this time frame does not set an upper limit on the time permissible for recovery (Meyerson, 2013).
There are no standing orders for observation. After 4 to 6 hours of a routine recovery, the physician should be notified that the patient is not safe to go home so that updated orders for extended recovery or observation can be completed. A physician’s order is needed to place the patient in the most appropriate setting.