Hospital mortality indicators: foreign experience, literature teachings and guidelines to support public decision-making and the development of indicators in France

This operational document is made up of 3 parts :

• a review of the mortality indicators currently used in five countries (United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and Germany) to compare healthcare institutions;
• a review of the international literature in order to discuss the advantages and drawbacks of the different mortality indicators: purpose of the indicator, scope, source data, adjustment models, links with other quality indicators (process, structure) and side-effects of their use ;
• HAS recommendations to guide public decision-making and the development of hospital mortality indicators that allow the comparison of healthcare institutions in France.