---
title: U Chart
description: Used in the healthcare industry to display counts for an inconsistent sample size or area of opportunity.
---

[Healthcare Improvement Blog - Life QI ](https://blog.lifeqisystem.com)

# [U Chart](https://blog.lifeqisystem.com/u-chart)

 Written by [Kerrie Preston](https://blog.lifeqisystem.com/author/kerrie-preston) | Aug 9, 2018 1:58:12 PM

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

 

 

 

[Read more about the Statistical Process Control (SPC)

](https://blog.lifeqisystem.com/statistical-process-control)

 

 

[View full post](https://blog.lifeqisystem.com/u-chart)

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