Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Nov 2014
Yield of diagnostic tests and its impact on cost in adult patients with syncope presenting to a community hospital.
Total annual costs for syncope-related hospitalizations were $2.4 billion in 2000. The aim of this study was to examine the type and number of tests ordered for patients admitted with syncope and whether these tests helped establish the cause. ⋯ Physicians ordered unnecessary tests that have a low yield and are not cost-effective. A standardized algorithmic approach should be the cornerstone in the evaluation of syncope.