Can you compare two SMRs?

Can you compare two SMRs?

The Standardised Mortality Ratio (SMR) is increasingly used to compare the performance of different healthcare providers. However, it has long been known that differences in the populations of the providers can cause biased results when directly comparing two SMRs.

Can you compare standardized mortality ratios?

The Standardized Mortality Ratio uses the indirect method of adjustment to compare the mortality experience of a given area with a standard or to evaluate the mortality experience due to several causes of death within a given area against a common standard.

What is the main reason for standardizing rates?

Standardization results in “adjusted” rates that are not real, but they have the advantage of enabling you to compare two or more populations after removing the distorting effect of other confounding factors, such as age.

When should the standardized mortality ratio SMR be used?

SMR is expecially useful in a small population, where direct age adjustment is not feasible (i.e., when there are fewer than 25 deaths in the study population).

How do you standardize a rate?

The formula for standardized rates is as follows: ∑(crude rate for age group × standard population for age group) / ∑standard population.

How to calculate expected death for SMR?

The expected number of deaths for the SMR is calculated by multiplying the number of persons in each age group of the study population by the age specific death rates of the general population in the same age groups of the study population and summing this over all age groups.

What is standardized mortality ratio?

Standardized mortality ratio. In epidemiology, the standardized mortality ratio or SMR, is a quantity, expressed as either a ratio or percentage quantifying the increase or decrease in mortality of a study cohort with respect to the general population.

What is standard mortality rate?

Standardized mortality rate. Standardized mortality rate tells how many persons, per thousand of the population, will die in a given year and what the causes of death will be. Such statistics have many uses: Life insurance companies periodically update their premiums based on the mortality rate, adjusted for age.

What is risk adjusted mortality rate?

The risk adjusted mortality rate (RAMR) is a mortality rate that is adjusted for predicted risk of death. It is usually utilized to observe and/or compare the performance of certain institution(s) or person(s), e.g., hospitals or surgeons.