Hospital bed density
Total number of hospital beds per 10 000 population.
Number of hospital beds (excluding labour and delivery beds).
Total population.
Distribution (by province/district), ownership (public/private), type of bed.
A national database is usually maintained. Regular updates through surveys or facility censuses are needed.
See also: Number and distribution of inpatient beds per 10,000 population
Routine facility information systems/national database
Health facility census
The indicator contributes to the measurement of facility infrastructure management, such as physical availability and accessibility of health services.
Service access and availability, Health infrastructure, Inpatient care
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
Further information and related links
Monitoring the building blocks of health systems: a handbook of indicators and their measurement strategies. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2010 (http://www.who.int/healthinfo/systems/WHO_MBHSS_2010_full_web.pdf?ua=1).
World health statistics 2014. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014 (http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/112738/1/9789240692671_eng.pdf?ua=1).
