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Hospital admission rates

Definition:

Number (and mean) of hospital admissions per person per year.

Numerator:

Number of hospital admissions per year.

Denominator:

Total population (of the same geographical area).

Disaggregation:

Age, place of residence, sex.

Data Requirement(s):

Requires complete and reliable recording and reporting of the number of hospital admissions visits by public and private facilities. Recall in population surveys can also be used.

Data Source(s):

Facility reports

Facility assessment

Record review

Routine facility information systems

Population-based health surveys

Purpose:

This indicator can be used to inform on inpatient care and utilization. Hospital records are the basis for statistics on performance related to inpatient activities, including the numbers of beds, admissions, discharges, deaths and the duration of stay. Two related indicators are (1) Average length of stay: an indicator of quality and efficiency of health services; and (2) Bed occupancy rate: an indicator of efficiency of services.

Issue(s):

As with other routine facility reporting, problems arise from incomplete and late reporting as well as from biases resulting from differences in population use of services. Hospital admission rates have the potential to vary considerably, with country practices and changes in admission or intervention policies. Very low rates tend to indicate that services are not available, but otherwise the statistics are difficult to interpret.

Keywords:
Neonatal care, Labor and delivery, Pediatric care, Inpatient care, HIV care, Reproductive Health, Maternal health, Newborn health, Child health, Malaria, Morbidity

References:

World Health Organization (WHO). 2015 Global Reference List of 100 Core Health Indicators.; 2015. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/173589/1/WHO_HIS_HSI_2015.3_eng.pdf

World Health Organization. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Review of National Health Strategies: A Country-Led Platform for Information and Accountability.; 2011. http://www.who.int/healthinfo/country_monitoring_evaluation/1085_IER_131011_web.pdf

World Health Organization (WHO). Monitoring the Building Blocks of Health Systems: A Handbook of Indicators and Their Measurement Strategies.; 2010. http://www.who.int/healthinfo/systems/WHO_MBHSS_2010_full_web.pdf

Filed under: Child health , HIV care , Inpatient care , Labor and delivery , Malaria , Maternal health , Morbidity , Neonatal care , Newborn health , Pediatric care , Reproductive Health

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MEASURE Evaluation is funded by USAID to strengthen capacity in developing countries to gather, interpret, and use data to improve health. We create tools and approaches for rigorous evaluations, providing evidence to address health challenges. And we strengthen health information systems so countries can make better decisions and sustain good health outcomes over time.

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Email: measure@unc.edu
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MEASURE Evaluation is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The information provided on this web site is not official U.S. government information and does not necessarily represent the views of USAID, PEPFAR or the U.S. government.

Hospital admission rates

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