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Audit, research and guideline update
Use of mortality within 30 days of a COPD hospitalisation as a measure of COPD care in UK hospitals
  1. P P Walker1,2,
  2. E Thompson1,
  3. H Crone1,
  4. G Flatt1,
  5. K Holton3,
  6. S L Hill3,
  7. M G Pearson1,2
  1. 1Aintree Health Outcomes Partnership, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
  2. 2Aintree Chest Centre, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool, UK
  3. 3Respiratory Programme, Department of Health, London, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Paul Phillip Walker, Aintree Chest Centre, University Hospital Aintree, Lower Lane, Liverpool L9 7AL, UK; ppwalker{at}liv.ac.uk

Abstract

Mortality rate has been proposed as a metric of hospital chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care in light of variation seen in national COPD audits. Using Hospital Episode Statistics (hospital ‘coding’) we examined 30-day mortality after COPD hospitalisation in 150 UK hospitals during 2006–2007 and 2007–2008. Mean and median 30-day mortalities were similar each year but the coefficient of variation was >20% and hospitals could change from a low or high quartile to the median by chance. We could not detect any reasons for hospitals being at the extremes. 30-day mortality after COPD hospitalisation is a complex variable and unlikely to be useful as a primary annual COPD metric.

  • COPD epidemiology

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