Indicators of the hospital bed utilisation

DEFINITIONS

Average number of beds

if the number of beds does not change during the month, the average number of beds corresponds to the number of beds actually opened; in other case average number of beds are calculated accordingly (number of beds before change multiplied by the number of days of this period these beds were operational divided by the number of days in a month) + (number of beds after change multiplied by the number of days in the period these beds were operational divided by the number of days in a month).

If, after the calculations, a decimal remains, the rounding algorithm is as follows:
   where the fraction is 4 and less, the average number of beds shall be rounded down.
   for fractions of 6 and above, the average number of beds shall be rounded up.
   if the fraction is 5, which follows the figure, then the average number of beds does not change.
   if the fraction is 5 followed by an integer, the average number of beds shall be rounded up.
   if the fraction is 0,5, the average number of beds shall be rounded up to 1.

Hospital beds do not include:
   healthy newborn beds,
   day hospital beds,
   temporary and extra beds,
   beds in auxiliary rooms (hallways, etc.), special-purpose beds referring to special medical devices, such as the bed where the patient is sleeping on hemodialysis, the birth table.

Average number of beds in a hospital per 10000 inhabitants - average number of beds per year divided by average number of population multiplied by 10000.

Patients at the start of the period - the number of patients who were treated in the profile for the first day of the month. This number should be the same as the number of patients at the end of the previous month (except for the newly created inpatient unit, which will have 0 patients by the beginning of the first reference month).

Number of admitted patients - number of hospitalized patients. Hospitalization means admission of a patient to a hospital for observation, examination, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation or temporary care for a period of not less than 24 hours.

Hospitalization per 100 population - The number of hospital admissions per year divided by the average number of population multiplied by 100.

Patients transferred within a hospital - the number of patients transferred according to indications from one profile to another within this hospital. At the end of the month, the number of patients transferred between profiles within the hospital should equalize.

Discharge - is the conclusion of a period of inpatient care, whether the patient returned to his home, was transferred to another inpatient facility or died.

Number of in-patient discharges do not include:
   transferred (sent) to another medical institution;
   the patient is dead (number of deceased patients are reported separately);
   inpatient patients;
   day hospital patients;
   patients discharged temporarily or on weekends if the hospital bed is reserved during this time;
   patients being treated outside the hospital (home) by inpatient staff;
   healthy newborns in the maternity ward.

Dead - All dead hospitalized patients.

Patients at end of period - number of patients staying in the hospital for the next reference month/period. It is calculated by the following algorithm: the number of patients at the beginning of the month is added to the admitted and transferred from other profile, and subtracted transferred to other profile and deceased.

Patient time spent in hospital - overnight stay spent in hospital (sleeps). If a patient is transferred to another hospital or dies within 24 hours of hospitalization, it is recorded as 1 bed-day.

Number of bed-days per 100 population - the total number of bed days divided by the average number of population multiplied by 100.

The average bed load (days)- is calculated using the following algorithm: the total number of bed days in a period divided by the average number of beds in a period.

Inpatient lethality - is the percentage of patients who died during the period in relation to a well-defined group of patients. It is calculated by the following algorithm: the number of deceased patients multiplied by 100 divided by the number of discharged and deceased patients per period.

The average number of beds per patient - the number of bed days per period divided by the number of patients discharged and dead during the period.

Bed turnover - the number of patients discharged and deceased during the period, divided by the average number of beds per period.

The average bed load% - is calculated by the following algorithm: the average bed load (days) is multiplied by 100 and divided by the number of calendar days in the period.

Annual average population - arithmetic average of population calculated as sum of population at the beginning and end of a calendar year divided by 2.

DATA SOURCES

Database of Hospital beds’ utilisation.

Average population - Central Statistical Bureau.

METHODOLOGY

Source of information:

The Database of Hospital beds’ Utilisation is updated on the basis of information provided by inpatient treatment facilities. Inpatient information shall be provided on a monthly basis using form No. 016/u “Patient Movement and Bed Fund Accounting Summary Inpatient” .

PUBLICATIONS

Statistical Yearbook of Health Care in Latvia Link

LINKS

The Centre for Disease Prevention and Control of Latvia

CONTACT

Janis Misins

Head of the Health Statistics Unit

Phone Number: +371 67501582

 

Creation date of metadata: 02.09.2019.