Does the CDC recommend the use of hospital discharge data for arthritis surveillance?
In general the answer is no. The data are not useful for community prevalence estimates. We recommend this only if such an analysis will make a difference in your program activities or program plans. At the national level, we have determined arthritis impact on hospitalizations by looking at the National Hospital Discharge Survey. We will do similar impact studies for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis. At the state level, similar impact studies could be done if there were a complete source of hospital discharges. However, states are discouraged from pursuing these activities unless there is a direct link to program activities and are consistent with state arthritis plans.
