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KMID : 0353019760130010029
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Korean Journal of Public Health
1976 Volume.13 No. 1 p.29 ~ p.36
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A Case Study on the Probability Distribution of Length of Hospital Stay
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Abstract
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One of the difficult problems controling hospital managers is extreme fluctuation of the demand for various hospital services. This fluctuation is mainly caused by the variation in the dail hospital census, which is determined by the number of new admissions and length of hospital stay of each patient. It was reported that the length of hospital stay can be described by Gamma distribution. This study is intended to examine whether the length of hospital stay shows also Gamma distribution in Korean hospitals.
Data for this study were collected from two gerneral hospitals in Seoul. In one of them, 2,975 medical and surgical patients discharged for one year, September 1, 1974 -August 31, 1975, were covered. In the other hospital, the analysis included 4,147 medical and surgical patients discharged during the period from June 1, 1974 to May 31, 1975.
It was observed that the length of hospital stay showed general patterns of Gamma distribution. This suggests that more extensive study along this line can provide useful imformation needed to make more accurate prediction of the demand for hospital services, and thereby to increase effectiveness and efficiency in hospital management.
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