U Charts are used to display counts for an inconsistent sample size or "area of opportunity". For example, a hospital interested in reducing the number of falls on their wards, where the number of patients on the wards varies considerably could use a rate per 1000 Occupied Bed Days.
Typical instances in healthcare would be:
- Number of falls per 1,000 occupied bed days
- Number of violet incidents per 100 admissions
U Chart Example
Here we will show you what data is required when creating a U Chart and how this is reflected in the Chart itself.
So lets say the 'Aim' of the project was to:
Reduce the number of 'slips and trips' at New Hospital by 80% in 12 months.
and the measure was:
Number of slip and trips per week.
You would need to capture the following data:
| Time Period |
Dates when the value was recorded (Daily, Weekly, monthly). |
| Count |
The counts recorded at every time period (The number of patients that have slipped / tripped whilst in hospital, each week). |
| Total |
Sample size each time the count was taken |
Data Capture Example:
Total number of slips and trips per week
U Control Chart Example:
Total number of slips and trips per week