[Hospital productivity and methods of evaluating utilization of beds]

The authors define the hospital (or departmental) productivity the criteria of which are the use of the hospital capacity: the average length of stay, the occupancy ratio, the turnover interval and the turnover. The authors describe the construction of a nomogram for the graphic evaluation of the position of all four indicators. They submit a formula for calculation of the global "index of hospital productivity". They consider the possibility to increase hospital productivity in particular by reducing the length of stay and turnover interval. They draw attention to the influence of external circumstances on hospitalization and the necessity to evaluate indicators of productivity in association with efficiency, effectivity and quality of hospital care.