Design and operation of the National Hospital Discharge Survey: 1988 redesign.

The National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS), a national probability sample survey of discharges from non-Federal hospitals, began in 1965 and has been conducted annually since then. The original design of NHDS was in place through 1987. This report provides information about the survey design, instruments, data collection procedures, and survey methodology used for NHDS since the implementation of its redesign in 1988.