Discharges from hospitals

A hospital discharge is the formal release of a patient from a hospital after a procedure or course of treatment. A discharge occurs whenever a patient leaves because of finalisation of treatment, signs out against medical advice, transfers to another health care institution or on death. An in-patient is a patient who is formally admitted (or 'hospitalised') to an institution for treatment and/or care and stays for a minimum of one night or more than 24 hours in the hospital or other institution providing in-patient care. The number of discharges is the most commonly used measure of the utilisation of hospital services. Discharges, rather than admissions, are used because hospital abstracts for in-patient care are based on information gathered at the time of discharge. Diagnostic chapters (using principal diagnosis) have been defined according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).