National Hospital Discharge Survey: U.S. Patient Records from 2001

The National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) collects medical and demographic information annually from a sample of hospital discharge records. It includes patient demographics, admission and discharge details, diagnoses, procedures, and hospital characteristics. The data is coded using the ICD-9-CM classification and was produced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics.

Use Cases

• Analyze patient length of stay based on admission type and discharge status.
• Study the prevalence of specific diagnoses and procedures based on ICD-9-CM codes.
• Model healthcare payment sources based on patient demographics and hospital characteristics.
• Investigate regional variations in hospital care based on hospital location and ownership.

Strengths

• Data includes multiple linked dimensions: patient demographics, clinical details, and hospital characteristics.
• Medical information is standardized using the ICD-9-CM coding system.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

United States Department of Health and Human Services. National Center for Health Statistics

Collection Method

Collected annually from a sample of hospital discharge records.

Time Range

2001

Geography

United States