Cholelithiasis: length-of-stay analysis in two series of surgical patients

Two series of patients undergoing surgical treatment for cholelithiasis at Hornsby Hospital are described. Data are drawn from the routine morbidity reporting system of the hospital and processed by manual techniques. The morbidity data presented in this analysis demonstrate the capacity of currently operating reporting systems to provide diagnosis-specific information, and to describe the behaviour of relevant subgroups within a "diagnostic population". The need for specificity when attempting to make comparisons of length-of-stay "performance" either between or within hospitals is highlighted.