Data Analytics and Use
Analytics basics
Understand descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics; descriptive summarizes what happened. Know measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and dispersion, and when the median is preferred for skewed data such as length of stay.
Hospital statistics
Memorize formulas: average length of stay = inpatient days / discharges; bed occupancy = inpatient days / (bed count x days in period); death rate = deaths / discharges (sometimes admissions); autopsy rate; hospital-acquired infection rate with denominators such as patient days or device days. Watch denominators: a question may give admissions but expect discharges.
Quality and research
Quality improvement uses PDSA, Lean, and Six Sigma/DMAIC. Research designs include randomized controlled trials, cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies. IRB approval and informed consent protect human subjects. Validity is measuring what you intend; reliability is consistency. Sensitivity detects true positives; specificity detects true negatives.
Worked example
A 200-bed hospital records 36,500 inpatient days and 5,000 discharges in a non-leap year. ALOS = 36,500 / 5,000 = 7.3 days. Occupancy = 36,500 / (200 x 365) = 50 percent.
Trap
Do not mix inpatient and outpatient visits in one rate, and confirm whether the period is a leap year.