Final answer:
Discharge statistics more accurately reflect the number of inpatients served as they only include completed residential stays, unlike admission statistics that may count non-residential or repeat visits.
Step-by-step explanation:
Discharge statistics are more accurate than admission statistics as a count of inpatients served by a hospital mainly because admissions may include non-residential stays such as those who are not admitted overnight or are observed for a few hours and then released. Discharge data, on the other hand, includes all those who have been officially discharged after a residential stay, ensuring that only completed inpatient services are accounted for. This makes discharge statistics a more reliable indicator of the number of inpatients actually served. Admission counts can be inflated by repeat admissions or transfers, while discharge counts reflect the conclusive end of a patient's stay.