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The hospital standardized mortality ratio (HSMR) is an important new measure of patient safety that compares a hospital's mortality rate with the average Canadian rate. It examines observed versus expected deaths and is adjusted for various factors such as the age, sex, diagnoses and admission status of patients. The ratio provides a starting point to assess mortality rates and identify areas for improvement, which may help to reduce preventable deaths. |
Developed in the United Kingdom in the mid 1990s, the HSMR has also been used in hospitals in Holland and the United States. When tracked over time, the ratio can be a motivator for change, by indicating how successful hospitals or health regions have been in reducing inpatient deaths - leading to improved patient care. CIHI has led the effort in calculating HSMRs for Canada and later in 2007, will be releasing its first public report on results for facilities in all provinces outside Quebec. To learn more about the HSMR, see the documents below:
To learn more about the public release:
Source: http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=hsmr_e |
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The HSMR is a very important measure for hospitals. What appears to be the challenge,though, is determining what contributes to the movement of the HSMR. What quality initiatives (if any) have been identified to be significant in "moving the dot"? Without some clear research on this, it may be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
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