HSMR

The hospital standardized mortality ratio (HSMR) is an important measure to improve patient safety and quality of care in Canadian hospitals.

The HSMR adjusts for factors that affect in-hospital mortality rates, such as patient age, sex, diagnosis and admission status. It then compares the actual number of deaths in a hospital with the average Canadian experience. The ratio provides a starting point to assess mortality rates and identify areas for improvement to help reduce hospital deaths.

The HSMR was developed in the United Kingdom in the mid-1990s and has been used by several countries. When tracked over time, the ratio can be a motivator for change. The HSMR indicates how successful hospitals and health regions have been in reducing inpatient deaths—leading to improved patient care. CIHI has led the effort in calculating HSMRs for Canada and publishes results for eligible facilities and regions in all provinces.

We welcome your feedback and questions

• Contact us at hsmr@cihi.ca.
• Have a data inquiry or research question? Make a custom data request.

HSMR information

 Reports and analyses
 Methodology
 Key projects
 Related content

Reports and analyses about HSMR

• See the 2012 HSMR results
• In Focus: A National Look at Sepsis (Dec. 2009)
• HSMR: A New Approach for Measuring Hospital Mortality Trends in Canada (Nov. 2007)

Methodology for HSMR

HSMR resources

• Understanding the HSMR Report (updated March 2009) (PDF, 304 KB)
• What Is the HSMR? (updated July 2008) (PDF, 274 KB)
• Technical Notes (updated Apr. 2013) (PDF, 251 KB)
• Frequently Asked Questions for Hospitals and Health Providers (updated Apr. 2013) (PDF, 167 KB)
• Using CIHI’s HSMR eReporting Service (updated May 2010) (PDF, 52 KB)
• Resources for Getting Started (PDF, 227 KB)

Key projects about HSMR

• HSMR public release 2012 (updated Sept. 2012)
• HSMR public release 2011 (updated Sept. 2011)  
• HSMR eReporting service launched (updated May 2010)