title: Hospital standardized mortality ratio is a useful burning platform.
abstract: Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratio (HSMR) is an important indicator of hospital performance that can be immediately used by quality improvement teams. As described by Penfold et al., the indicator is not perfect. However, it does serve as a useful measure that is readily understood by healthcare professionals and the public. Engaging hospital staff in quality improvement work can be challenging and requires understandable quality measures. The Canadian Institute for Healthcare Information deserves our thanks for making this indicator available.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Programs and Professional Practice, University Health Network (UHN).
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zahn
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: MacNaughton
authors.forename: Cara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Flemming
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D006739:Hospital Administration / Q000592:standards*; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D017751:Safety Management / Q000592:standards*