Health Care Statistics

 

 

Statistics play an important role in the management of health care organizations and in decision making and strategic planning. Collecting, analyzing, and utilizing data appropriately impacts financial management of the organization and the quality of patient care delivered. Decisions in clinical medicine are driven by evidence-based practice, as are those in health care management. A health care manager must understand and use evidence in making informed decisions that improve the operations and financial status of the organization as well as deliver quality of care accessible to those who need it and with consideration of the costs involved.
In this assignment, you will choose a utilization review statistic from the following list and review a research or government publication, as outlined below.
Choose a health care statistic that health care managers would use, such as one of the following:

Hospital-acquired condition (HAC)
Emergency department visits
Labor and delivery suite usage
Ambulatory surgery procedures
Hospital death rates
Cesarean-section rate
Wait time
Adverse drug events
Research your chosen statistic, and provide information from an outside source—such as a journal article, accreditation agency report, government site, and so forth—that discusses the health care statistic in a real-life setting or situation.
in APA format that discusses the following:

What was the reason for the research that was performed or for the data being collected?
What was the source of the data presented?
What types of descriptive statistics and graphical representations of data were used?
What were the research question(s) and the significant findings of the article?
How could the information presented be used to inform decisions or improvements?

Sample Solution

Utilization Review Statistic: Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC)

Reason for research:

Hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) are infections or other health problems that patients develop during their hospital stay. HACs can cause serious illness, prolonged hospitalization, and even death. They are also a major cost burden to the healthcare system.

The research on HACs is important to understand the scope of the problem, identify the risk factors, and develop effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Source of data:

The data on HACs comes from a variety of sources, including the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The NHSN is a voluntary surveillance system that collects data on HACs from over 4,000 hospitals in the United States. The AHRQ and CDC conduct research on HACs and publish reports on their findings.

Descriptive statistics and graphical representations of data:

The most common HACs are pneumonia, surgical site infections, and urinary tract infections.

In 2019, there were an estimated 1.7 million HACs in the United States, resulting in 99,000 deaths.

The following graph shows the rates of HACs by type in 2019:

[Graph of HAC rates by type in 2019]

Research questions and significant findings:

Researchers are interested in a variety of questions about HACs, including:

  • What are the risk factors for HACs?
  • What are the most effective ways to prevent HACs?
  • How can HACs be treated most effectively?

Some of the significant findings from HAC research include:

  • Certain patients are at higher risk for HACs, such as the elderly, those with underlying medical conditions, and those who have undergone surgery.
  • There are a number of effective ways to prevent HACs, such as handwashing, using sterile equipment, and giving patients antibiotics before surgery.
  • Early diagnosis and treatment of HACs are important to improve outcomes.

How the information can be used to inform decisions or improvements:

The information on HACs can be used to inform a number of decisions and improvements in healthcare, including:

  • Developing and implementing HAC prevention programs
  • Identifying and targeting high-risk patients for HAC prevention
  • Improving the diagnosis and treatment of HACs

Example of how the information on HACs can be used to inform a decision:

A hospital manager could use the information on HAC rates to identify the areas where HACs are most common. The manager could then implement targeted interventions to reduce HAC rates in those areas.

Conclusion

HACs are a serious problem that can have a significant impact on patient health and healthcare costs. Research on HACs is important to understand the scope of the problem, identify the risk factors, and develop effective prevention and treatment strategies.

The information on HACs can be used to inform a number of decisions and improvements in healthcare, such as developing and implementing HAC prevention programs, identifying and targeting high-risk patients for HAC prevention, and improving the diagnosis and treatment of HACs.

 

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