<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Almost all countries in the world keep some form of hospital discharge report (HDR). Although there are many variations, every report contains such data as patient demographics, the main cause of hospitalization, comorbidities, the length of stay in hospital and outcome. The advantages of using data obtained from HDRs are numerous: The data from HDRs are already collected in a designated centre and thus easily available and relatively cheap; HDRs contain information for many previous years; they are sometimes more reliable than data obtained through any other method; and finally, they provide a large and representative database. HDRs databases can be connected with other databases using a unified patient identification number. The limitations of using data obtained through HDRs are as follows: inconsistencies in defining and coding diagnoses and applied procedures, common underestimations of comorbidity, limited possible applications in specific studies and partial coverage of inpatient institutions. The prediction that in the future, a growing number of diagnostic and treatment procedures will be performed on an outpatient basis will also limit the use of HDRs. When electronic recordkeeping becomes a practice, we may assume that these data will no longer be needed. There is no perfect model for collection and processing data regarding hospitalized patients. HDRs, with their advantages and disadvantages, currently represent the best way to perceive the size, type, quality and efficiency of the health care services provided to patients at the secondary and tertiary level.</p></abstract>

Almost all countries in the world keep some form of hospital discharge report (HDR). Although there are many variations, every report contains such data as patient demographics, the main cause of hospitalization, comorbidities, the length of stay in hospital and outcome. The advantages of using data obtained from HDRs are numerous: The data from HDRs are already collected in a designated centre and thus easily available and relatively cheap; HDRs contain information for many previous years; they are sometimes more reliable than data obtained through any other method; and finally, they provide a large and representative database. HDRs databases can be connected with other databases using a unified patient identification number. The limitations of using data obtained through HDRs are as follows: inconsistencies in defining and coding diagnoses and applied procedures, common underestimations of comorbidity, limited possible applications in specific studies and partial coverage of inpatient institutions. The prediction that in the future, a growing number of diagnostic and treatment procedures will be performed on an outpatient basis will also limit the use of HDRs. When electronic recordkeeping becomes a practice, we may assume that these data will no longer be needed. There is no perfect model for collection and processing data regarding hospitalized patients. HDRs, with their advantages and disadvantages, currently represent the best way to perceive the size, type, quality and efficiency of the health care services provided to patients at the secondary and tertiary level.

Possible Uses of Data from Hospital Discharge Reports

Experimental and Applied Biomedical Research (EABR)

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Possible Uses of Data from Hospital Discharge Reports"}

Almost all countries in the world keep some form of hospital discharge report (HDR). Although there are many variations, every report contains such data as...

Possible Uses of Data from Hospital Discharge Reports

Published Online: May 29, 2017

Page range: 163 - 167

Received: Mar 07, 2016

Accepted: Mar 17, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/sjecr-2016-0023

Keywords
Hospital discharge report, comorbidity, diagnostic related groups, health care quality, trend analysis

© 2017 Sanja Kocic et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Possible Uses of Data from Hospital Discharge Reports

Published Online: May 29, 2017

Page range: 163 - 167

Received: Mar 07, 2016

Accepted: Mar 17, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/sjecr-2016-0023

KeywordsHospital discharge report, comorbidity, diagnostic related groups, health care quality, trend analysis

© 2017 Sanja Kocic et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Hospital discharge report, comorbidity, diagnostic related groups, health care quality, trend analysis