Present state of statistics from hospital in-patient data and their uses.

Monitoring the performance of health services has now become official policy (Department of Health and Social Security, 1971). At present hospital management has available to it the largest body of data of any part of the total health system. The Hospital In-Patient Enquiry, the Annual Hospital Returns, and Hospital Activity Analysis all can and do contribute in this respect. But is it possible for these three interdependent sources to serve the varying and often competing needs of administrators, accountants, medical 'cogwheel' (Ministry of Health, 1967) managers, and clinicians? Equally, although they are a source of valuable research information are they exploited enough? A review of these three sources is therefore opportune in order to consider the aims and objects of each and the extent to which these have been achieved, to examine their accuracy, other uses, and limitations, and to assess the needs for changes or additions to the data or their presentation to meet the needs for the future.