INDICATORS

69. HOSPITAL DAYCASE/IN-PATIENT DISCHARGE RATIO, LIMITED DIAGNOSES
Definition: The indicator is defined as the ratio of the number of hospital daycases from all
hospitals, to the number of hospital inpatient discharges from all hospitals, during the given
calendar year. Calculated and presented by the categories of the International Shortlist for
Hospital Morbidity Tabulation (ISHMT).
Calculation: The indicator is calculated as the total number of hospital daycases from all
hospitals during the given calendar year, divided by the total number of hospital in-patient
discharges from all hospitals during the given calendar year. Calculated by the categories of
the International Shortlist for Hospital Morbidity Tabulation (ISHMT). Hospital daycases
and discharges for inpatients with principal diagnoses not falling into the ISHMT group of
diagnoses are excluded.
A hospital daycase is a patient who is formally admitted for day care. Day care comprises
medical and paramedical services delivered to patients who are formally admitted for
diagnosis, treatment or other types of health care with the intention of discharging the
patient on the same day. Excluded are episodes of care for patients who are admitted as daycare
patients and subsequently stay overnight.
A hospital in-patient is a patient who is formally admitted (or “hospitalised”) to a hospital for
treatment and/or care and stays for a minimum of one night in the hospital. Inpatient care
includes accommodation provided in combination with medical treatment when the latter
is the predominant activity provided during the stay as an inpatient. Patients admitted as
in-patients but who do not remain overnight for some reason (e.g. death) night should be
included. Also patients admitted with the intention of discharge on the same day, but who
subsequently stay in hospital over night should be included. Day treatment cases (patients
admitted for a medical procedure or surgery in the morning and released before the evening)
should not be included. Also healthy newborns should be excluded.
A hospital discharge is the formal release of a patient from a hospital after a procedure or
course of treatment. A discharge occurs whenever a patient leaves because of finalisation of
treatment, signs out against medical advice, transfers to another health care institution or
on death. A discharge can refer to in-patients or day cases. Transfers to another department
within the same institution are excluded. Day treatment cases (patients admitted for a
medical procedure or surgery in the morning and released before the evening) should be
excluded.
Notes: Eurostat and OECD, both institutions, are collecting the data from national sources
with a common questionnaire (CARE, non-expenditure, which includes a common MDS
on hospitals).
70. AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY (ALOS), LIMITED DIAGNOSES
Definition: The indicator is defined as the average length of stay (ALOS) in a hospital per
discharged inpatient, i.e. average duration of a single episode of hospitalisation. Calculated
and presented by the categories of the International Shortlist for Hospital Morbidity
Tabulation (ISHMT). Calculated and presented for a) all hospitals and b) acute care
hospitals separately.
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