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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
M.N. Sarkies
2   Monash Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
3   Monash Health, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
,
K.-A. Bowles
3   Monash Health, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
7   Monash University, Physiotherapy Department, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
,
E.H. Skinner
8   Western Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
,
D. Mitchell
2   Monash Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
6   Monash University, Physiotherapy Department, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
,
R. Haas
3   Monash Health, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
7   Monash University, Physiotherapy Department, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
,
M. Ho
2   Monash Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
,
K. Salter
2   Monash Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
,
K. May
2   Monash Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
,
D. Markham
2   Monash Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
,
L. O’Brien
3   Monash Health, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
5   Monash University, Occupational Therapy Department, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
,
S. Plumb
1   Melbourne Health, Allied Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
,
T.P. Haines
3   Monash Health, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
7   Monash University, Physiotherapy Department, Allied Health Research Unit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Correspondence to:

Mitchell Nicholas Sarkies
Occupational Therapy Department Dandenong
Hospital
David Street, Dandenong,
Victoria 3175, Australia.
Phone: +6143 3337 491   

Publication History

received: 24 October 2014

accepted: 05 January 2015

Publication Date:
19 December 2017 (online)

Also available ateRef
 
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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

 


 

Conflict of Interest

This study was performed in conjunction with a larger stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial examining the effectiveness of acute weekend allied health services. The results of our manuscript for publication helped shape the data collection methodology for the stepped-wedge trial mentioned above. All investigators involved in this manuscript are involved in the stepped-wedge randomised control trial. This research was funded by a Partnership Grant from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. Professor Terry Haines is supported by a Career Development Fellowship (Level 2) from the National Health and Medical Research Council. The NHMRC has had no direct role in the writing of the manuscript or the decision to submit it for publication.


Correspondence to:

Mitchell Nicholas Sarkies
Occupational Therapy Department Dandenong
Hospital
David Street, Dandenong,
Victoria 3175, Australia.
Phone: +6143 3337 491   


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