Sources of data
I need more details from admissions data... what can I do?
Many sites have found access to HES data through using local performance reports. These reports typically include averages for length of stay, numbers of admissions and readmissions, and are typically used for performance management.
For process improvement, it is often valuable to get this information at an individual level. This will be best used to show individual variation in length of stay, rather than the average.
If you have access to an information analyst who can extract the data from the acute trust or commissioner databases, then you can have a more flexible approach to accessing admissions data.
The IMPRESS data guide has a useful chapter on coding. Coding is the information used to capture healthcare information in records, and includes codes around diagnosis and types of admission.The IMPRESS guide suggests typical codes which analysts may find appropriate for extracting COPD data.
More sources of data