Objectives: This report presents national estimates of the use of non-Federal short-stay hospitals in the United States during 2002 and trend data for selected variables. Numbers and rates of discharges, diagnoses, and procedures are shown by age and sex. Average lengths of stay are presented for all discharges and for selected diagnostic categories by age and sex.
Methods: The estimates are based on medical abstract data collected through the 2002 National Hospital Discharge Survey. The survey has been conducted annually since 1965 by the National Center for Health Statistics. Diagnoses and procedures presented are coded using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM).
Results: Trends in the utilization of non-Federal short-stay hospitals show that the average age and age distribution of inpatients has changed dramatically from 1970 through 2002. In 1970, the average age of all inpatients was 40.7 years compared with 52.1 years in 2002. The percent of discharges aged 65 years and over comprised 20 percent of hospital discharges in 1970 whereas they comprised 38 percent in 2002. During this same period, the percent of inpatients under 15 years of age declined from 13 to 8 percent and inpatients 15-44 years of age declined from 43 to 32 percent. The percent of inpatients aged 45-64 years was more stable during these 23 years. In 2002, there were an estimated 33.7 million hospital discharges, excluding newborn infants. The discharge rate was 1,174.6 per 10,000 population. The rate of respiratory disease diagnoses among persons 65 years and over was significantly higher than for other age groups and has risen since 1975. There were 42.5 million procedures performed on inpatients during 2002. About one-quarter of all procedures performed on females were obstetrical. Almost one-quarter of all procedures performed on males were cardiovascular.