IMPROVED SERVICE

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 3, 5 January 1926, Page 7

IMPROVED SERVICE

REDUCTION IN HOSPITAL DEATH BATE

In the course of an address in Melbourne, Dr. M. MacEaehern, Associate Director of the American College of Burgeons, said that over 1000 hospitals in America in the past few years had closed their doors and gone out of business, because of their failure to reach the standard of efficiency entitling them to an approved report. However, 800 new hospitals of a very high standard had taken their places. The ultimate aims of hospital standardisation were chiefly four in number—(l) The shortening of the aver^ age number of days tha patient remained in the hospital. It was undoubtedly true that the days spent by the patients in the institution had been considerably reduced, dropping from 17 or 18 to 12 or 14 in the past five or six years. (2) The elimination of incapable and unnecessary surgery. The quality of surgery was now much higher, and that was due to better means of diagnosis. There were now an increasing number of consultations, group study of patients, and more modern technique.and procedure. Formerly many abdomens were opened in order to make a diagnosis, but now the splendid clinical facilities in hospitals enabled the surgeon, physician, and specialist to make, their diagnosis more accurately without resorting to discover the cause of the trouble. (3) The reduction of infection and complications. That was due to better supervision and check up, and improved technical procedure. (4) The lowering of the hospital death rate. Undoubtedly the hospital death rato under standardisation was decreasing, because one of the requirements was that each death had to bo thoroughly investigated by the medical staff and hospital authorities as well. Moreover, tlio reduction in the death rato was subsequent on the better hospital service. Formerly the hospital death rate ranged from 40 to 60 per 1000 patients treated, which iv itself was not a bad record, but in the last few years tho rate had dropped to 30, 20, ana even less, in the 1000.