Research archive: Vol. 32 No.1

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Volume 32 Number 1: >> Uses of health information

	Should there be an age split for stroke DRGs? Analysing a large clinical data set of a principal teaching hospital over a five-year period Monique Royle, Joanne Callen and Maria Craig [ PDF ] Abstract The aim of this study was to analyse the inpatient statistics collection relating to stroke patients admitted to a major teaching hospital, with particular reference to length of stay, and to assess the adequacy of the diagnosis related group (DRG) as a predictor of length of stay. The study subjects were selected by DRG to identify all stroke inpatients admitted and discharged between 1 July 1995 and 30 June 2000. There were 1365 stroke discharges (half of whom were over 75 years of age at discharge) over the period of the study. The median length of stay was 8 days, and 67% of the subjects experienced complications and/or comorbidities. Age was significantly associated with increased length of stay of stroke patients, independent of complications or comorbidities. These findings raise the question of whether casemix-based funding should be based solely on DRGs for complicated conditions such as stroke, or whether additional measures such as age should be used for funding allocation. This study provides a model that health information managers and other researchers could use to analyse inpatient statistics collections at state, territory or national levels.
	Researching hospital patient data to enhance operational management Liza Heslop, Brendon Gardner, Dean Athan, Donna Diers and Catherine Taylor [ PDF ] Abstract For the purposes of funding and policy development, the Victorian Department of Human Services expects Victorian health care institutions to capture patient data at all levels. These data can be extracted from hospital information systems and potentially offer a business role within a health service organisation. However, there are many issues to be addressed at the organisational level in order that operational directors can be enabled to use hospital data to solve health service operational problems. In this paper, we discuss some of those considerations and give practical examples of how patient data can be used for research and management purposes.