Data Collection Methods in Health Services Research

M.N. Sarkies; K.-A. Bowles; E.H. Skinner; D. Mitchell; R. Haas; M. Ho; K. Salter; K. May; D. Markham; L. O’Brien; S. Plumb; T.P. Haines

doi:10.4338/ACI-2014-10-RA-0097

Applied Clinical Informatics, Inhaltsverzeichnis

Appl Clin Inform 2015; 06(01): 96-109
DOI: 10.4338/ACI-2014-10-RA-0097

Research Article

Schattauer GmbH

Data Collection Methods in Health Services Research

Hospital Length of Stay and Discharge Destination

Autoren

M.N. Sarkies

²Monash Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

³Monash Health, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
K.-A. Bowles

³Monash Health, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

⁷Monash University, Physiotherapy Department, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
E.H. Skinner

⁸Western Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
D. Mitchell

²Monash Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

⁶Monash University, Physiotherapy Department, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
R. Haas

³Monash Health, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

⁷Monash University, Physiotherapy Department, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
M. Ho

²Monash Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
K. Salter

²Monash Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
K. May

²Monash Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
D. Markham

²Monash Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
L. O’Brien

³Monash Health, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

⁵Monash University, Occupational Therapy Department, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
S. Plumb

¹Melbourne Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
T.P. Haines

³Monash Health, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

⁷Monash University, Physiotherapy Department, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Abstract

Summary

Background: Hospital length of stay and discharge destination are important outcome measures in evaluating effectiveness and efficiency of health services. Although hospital administrative data are readily used as a data collection source in health services research, no research has assessed this data collection method against other commonly used methods.

Objective: Determine if administrative data from electronic patient management programs are an effective data collection method for key hospital outcome measures when compared with alternative hospital data collection methods.

Method: Prospective observational study comparing the completeness of data capture and level of agreement between three data collection methods; manual data collection from ward-based sources, administrative data from an electronic patient management program (i.PM), and inpatient medical record review (gold standard) for hospital length of stay and discharge destination. Results: Manual data collection from ward-based sources captured only 376 (69%) of the 542 in-patient episodes captured from the hospital administrative electronic patient management program. Administrative data from the electronic patient management program had the highest levels of agreement with inpatient medical record review for both length of stay (93.4%) and discharge destination (91%) data.

Conclusion: This is the first paper to demonstrate differences between data collection methods for hospital length of stay and discharge destination. Administrative data from an electronic patient management program showed the highest level of completeness of capture and level of agreement with the gold standard of inpatient medical record review for both length of stay and discharge destination, and therefore may be an acceptable data collection method for these measures.

Citation: Sarkies MN, Bowles K-A, Skinner EH, Mitchell D, Haas R, Ho M, Salter K, May K, Markham D, O’Brien L, Plumb S, Haines T.P. Data collection methods in health services research – hospital length of stay and discharge destination. Appl Clin Inf 2015; 6: 96–109

http://dx.doi.org/10.4338/ACI-2014-10-RA-0097

Keywords

Data collection - health services research - length of stay - discharge destination - research methodology

Volltext

Referenzen

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