Hospital utilization: an epidemiologic perspective on possible future trends.
Like the noted Mr. Holmes, epidemiologists work with details. This article focuses upon the use of detailed epidemiologic data to explore potential changes in hospital service utilization during the next decade. Although epidemiologists share with Mr. Holmes a commitment to inductive reasoning based on specific data, only a fictional detective would claim infallibility. In practice, data describing human populations are limited, inferences fragile, and changes always possible. These cautions need to be kept in mind when estimating future trends.
D003710:Demography; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States