Obs
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | Observation status |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Medical, Technology & Computing, Writing & Everyday, Business & Finance |
| Also written | OBS, obs. |
Obs has four meanings. The most common are Observation status (hospital) and Open Broadcaster Software (software); it can also stand for Obsolete and Organizational breakdown structure.
Meanings of Obs at a glance
| # | Obs stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Observation status | Medical › Hospital |
| 2 | Open Broadcaster Software | Technology & Computing › Software |
| 3 | Obsolete | Writing & Everyday › Grammar and Dictionary |
| 4 | Organizational breakdown structure | Business & Finance › Project Management |
1. Observation status
Medical · Hospital Abbreviations
Outpatient billing status for patients who stay in hospital, sometimes overnight, while clinicians decide whether they need inpatient admission. It can apply to patients in regular hospital beds.
Example: Placed in Obs for syncope workup; MOON notice given to patient.
Medicare patients receiving observation for more than 24 hours must get the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON). Observation days do not count toward the three-day inpatient stay Medicare requires before covering skilled nursing facility care, a common surprise for families. The Two-Midnight Rule guides inpatient versus observation decisions.
2. Open Broadcaster Software (OBS)
Technology & Computing · Software Abbreviations
Free, open-source program for screen recording and live streaming to platforms such as Twitch and YouTube, combining cameras, game capture, images and audio into switchable scenes. Its current product name is OBS Studio.
Example: I stream with OBS: one scene for gameplay, another with just the webcam during breaks.
Hugh "Jim" Bailey started OBS in 2012; OBS Studio, a cross-platform rewrite, replaced the original in 2016. Streaming platforms and GPU makers sponsor its development, and commercial tools such as Streamlabs Desktop are built on its code. Features like the virtual camera, once plug-ins, are now built in.
3. Obsolete (obs.)
Writing & Everyday · Grammar and Dictionary Abbreviations
Marks a word or sense no longer in use, though readers may meet it in older texts. The Oxford English Dictionary records thousands of obsolete senses so that historical documents remain understandable.
Example: nice (adj.) obs. foolish, simple; the sense found in Chaucer and other Middle English writers
Merriam-Webster labels a sense obsolete when there is no evidence of standard use since 1755, the year Samuel Johnson's dictionary appeared. Obsolete differs from archaic: an archaic word survives in special contexts, while an obsolete one has dropped out entirely. The OED marks obsolete words with a dagger symbol instead of a label.
4. Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)
Business & Finance · Project Management Abbreviations
Hierarchy of the departments, teams and people responsible for project work, which is mapped against the work breakdown structure to assign accountability for each work package.
Example: Crossing the WBS with the OBS shows which team owns each control account.
The intersections of the OBS and WBS form control accounts in earned value management.
Related abbreviations
More hospital abbreviations
- NICU – Neonatal intensive care unit
- NM – Nurse manager
- NPSG – National Patient Safety Goals
- NSICU – Neuroscience intensive care unit
- OP – Outpatient
- OPD – Outpatient department
- OR – Operating room
- PACU – Post-anesthesia care unit
See all 89 hospital abbreviations →
More software abbreviations
- M365 – Microsoft 365
- MIT – MIT License
- MPL – Mozilla Public License
- NLE – Non-linear editing
- OEM – Original equipment manufacturer
- OLE – Object Linking and Embedding
- OSI – Open Source Initiative
- OSS – Open-source software
See all 70 software abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.