UTILIZING HOSPITAL ELECTRONIC DATA TO IDENTIFY CAUSES OF HOSPITALIZATION IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL, TAIF, SAUDI ARABIA (2005_2014)

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the benefits of utilizing existing hospital discharged data to identify causes of hospitalization from 2005? 2014 in an attempt to illustrate the benefits of such data and lay the basis for the regular use of these data in the future. Methods:A retrospective hospital-based studyconducted at a tertiary hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia.All discharges and day surgeries from 2005 to 2014 were included in the study. Data was obtained from the hospital?s electronic system. Results:The total number of discharges was 240,241. The mean patient age was 32 years. The main causes of hospitalization were Injuries, including those from transport accidents, with 17,572(15.3%) cases, followed by diabetes mellitus and hypertensive heart disease with 5463 (4.7%) and 4631 (4%) respectively.Injuries remained the number one cause of hospitalization over the 10 years. Conclusion:Existing hospital electronic data can provide valuable information that can be used for health care planning and research. Injuries, non-communicable diseases, and neonatal conditions were among the most common causes of hospitalization.