High Turnover Stays for Pediatric Asthma in the United States

Background: Pediatric observation units provide an alternative to traditional hospitalization. The extent to which observation units could replace inpatient care for asthmatic children is unknown. Objective: To describe brief inpatient (“high-turnover,” HTO) stays for US children hospitalized with a principal discharge diagnosis of asthma, to characterize cases that may be appropriate for observation. Design: We analyzed the 2006 Kids' Inpatient...