THE number and rate of patients admitted to a public or private hospital to receive treatment or care has increased over the past decade, according to new updates released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
The number of admitted patient hospitalisations has increased from 10.2 million to 12.6 million over the decade from 2014-15 to 2023-24, and while some of this increase is due to rising population, the rate of hospitalisations has also increased from 401 to 421 per 1,000 population.
"Of the 12.6 million hospitalisations in 2023-24, 59% were in public hospitals and 41% were in private hospitals," said AIHW spokesperson Clara Jellie.
"While most planned admissions were to private hospitals, the majority of emergency hospitalisations were treated in a public hospital."
Females accounted for just over half of all hospitalisations (52%, 6.6 million) and over two-thirds (69%) of hospitalisations among those aged 20-39 - the age range that includes most hospitalisations for childbirth.
In people over 55, however, males were more likely to be hospitalised than females.
Meanwhile, people aged 65 and over - who make up 17% of the population - accounted for 44% of hospitalisations and 52% of patient days.
Sociodemographic differences were also evident, with hospitalisation rates for people living in remote and very remote areas substantially higher than those living in major cites, and higher for people living in lower socioeconomic areas than higher socioeconomic areas.
First Nations people had a rate of 900 hospitalisations per 1,000 population, more than double the rate for the general population, and day admissions for dialysis were almost nine times the rate for other Australians (407 vs 46 per 1,000 population respectively).
The AIHW also released data on potentially preventable hospitalisations, with one in 17 that could have been prevented by timely and adequate health care in the community, including vaccination and chronic disease management.
Rates of PPH increased with disadvantage and remoteness of residence.
The data can be accessed HERE. KB
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