Reductions in telemetry order duration do not reduce telemetry utilization

The Society of Hospital Medicine’s Adult Choosing Wisely measures include not ordering “continuous telemetry monitoring outside of the ICU [intensive care unit] without using a protocol that governs continuation.” Current guidelines for cardiac monitoring use recommend minimum durations for all adult class I and most class II indications. However, telemetry ordering often fails to include timing or criteria for discontinuation. We determined the impact of a reduction in telemetry order duration within our hospital, hypothesizing this reduction would lead to earlier reassessment of telemetry need and therefore decrease overall utilization.