Dying to Know
Over the last few years, monitoring deaths in hospital has become a standard part of assessing the performance of our hospitals and the quality of their care. There are a number of different ways in which this can be done, the most common of which involves calculating standardised mortality ratios (SMRs).
However, these measures are not without controversy. Some believe that they have limited value and should not be used at all, and certainly not to trigger public enquiries into hospital failings. Others accept limitations of the SMRs but think they are a crucial part of wider quality improvement.
This briefing has been produced by the Association of Public Health Observatories (APHO) to complement the detailed technical work of the national review, and to help trust Boards, commissioners and ultimately patients, understand the fundamental principles and pitfalls in interpreting hospital mortality measurement.
Specifically, this guide aims to help you understand more clearly:
- how hospital mortality is measured
- what the figures do and don't tell you about your hospital compared with others
- what actions and further investigations to take as a result.
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APHO Dying To Know
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