Final answer:
Morbidity rates refer to the number of cases of a disease, while mortality rates measure the number of deaths. These rates are important for assessing the quality of healthcare facilities and procedures.
Step-by-step explanation:
Morbidity and mortality rates are important measures used in healthcare to assess the impact of diseases. Morbidity rates refer to the number of cases of a disease expressed as a percentage or a standardized number per population. Mortality rates, on the other hand, measure the number of deaths from a disease also expressed as a percentage or a standardized number per population.
For example, a hospital may report a morbidity rate of 5% for a specific procedure, indicating that 5% of patients who underwent that procedure developed complications. Similarly, a mortality rate of 0.5% may indicate that 0.5% of patients who underwent a particular procedure died as a result.
These rates are important for assessing the quality of healthcare facilities and procedures. Lower infection rates and morbidity/mortality rates indicate better patient outcomes and higher quality of care.