Abbreviated Name:
Hospital bed density
Indicator Name:
Hospital bed density (per 10 000 population)
Domain:
Health System Response/ Service delivery
Related Terms:
Access
Definition:
The number of hospital beds available per every 10 000 inhabitants in a population.
Measurment Method:
A national database is usually maintained. Regular updates through surveys or facility censuses are needed.
Numerator:
The number of inpatient beds. This includes total hospital beds (for long-term and acute care), maternity beds and pediatric beds, but not delivery beds. Public and private sectors are included. locality/ district/ province or country
Denominator
The total population for the same geographical area.
Estimation method:
Data were compiled from the WHO Regional offices and country sources other (e.g. ministry of health, national statistical office) and modified to standardize the unit of measure of per 10 000 population. Population is from the UN World Population Prospects and hence may differ slightly from official country figures.
Disaggregation:
Location: urban vs. rural, regions, provinces, districts; Managing authority: public, private not-for-profit, private for profit, and other (such as parastatals).
Primary data sources:
District and national databases provide the number of beds. Special efforts, notably facility censuses, are often required to obtain the number of beds in private facilities, especially if no registration system is enforced.
Alternate data sources:
Health facility census
Measurment frequency:
Regular updating of the number of beds in facilities, and validation every 3-5 years through a complete census.
