Hospital-based acute inpatient care is a key component of the continuum of health services in Canada. It provides necessary treatment for a disease or severe episode of illness for a short period of time. The goal is to discharge patients as soon as they are healthy and stable.
CIHI provides valuable insight on volumes and types of cases presenting to Canadian hospitals. We also facilitate the collection of standardized information on acute inpatient care through these databases:
Stakeholders, including health facilities, health regions, ministries of health and academic researchers, use this information for resource and service planning, policy decisions and research.
We welcome your feedback and questions
- Contact us at cad@cihi.ca.
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Acute care information
Reports and analyses
Reports and analyses
- End-of-Life Hospital Care for Cancer Patients (April 2013)
- Profiling Acute Inpatient Care for Sparsely Populated Areas in Western Canada (Sep. 2011)
- Trends in Acute Inpatient Hospitalizations and Emergency Department Visits (June 2012)
- Alternate Level of Care in Canada (Jan. 2009)
- Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) reabstraction studies
- Hospital Report series
- eDAD Reports
eDAD Reports is an online tool that provides comparative, dynamic and timely information on separations from acute care institutions in Canada, including same-day surgery procedures. This includes discharges, deaths, sign-outs and transfers. eDAD Reports provides the answers you need to support effective hospital and health system management. Who can benefit?- Executives looking for quick, high-level summaries
- Managers investigating improvement opportunities
- Analysts seeking specific details
Learn about features, benefits and how to access eDAD Reports.
Databases and data sources
Discharge Abstract Database
The Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) contains demographic, administrative and clinical data on inpatient hospital discharges. Facilities in all provinces and territories except Quebec are required to report to the DAD. Quebec acute inpatient records are submitted to CIHI through a different process and are included in the Hospital Morbidity Database.
For information about data submission standards for the DAD, see the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) Abstracting Manual.
Hospital Morbidity Database
The Hospital Morbidity Database (HMDB) is a national data holding that captures administrative, clinical and demographic information on hospital inpatient events. It contains inpatient data collected via the DAD and inpatient records submitted from Quebec.
Metadata
Metadata is information about data. It helps users understand and interpret data from a specific source.
Find out more about the following data sources:
Methodology
Related Content
Publications
- Highlights of 2009–2010 Selected Indicators Describing the Birthing Process in Canada (June 2012)
- Highlights of 2009–2010 Inpatient Hospitalizations and Emergency Department Visits (May 2011)
- Surgery for Pancreatic and Esophageal Cancer in Canada: Hospital Experience and Care Centralization (Sept. 2011)
Quick Stats
