Aussie hospital performance
October 4, 2012
IN 2011-12, almost two-thirds of
emergency department visits were
completed in four hours or less,
according to the latest information
on emergency department care in
Australia's public hospitals by the
Australian Institute of Health and
Welfare (AIHW).
The report, titled Australian
hospital statistics 2011-12:
emergency department care also
noted that there were over 6.5
million presentations to emergency
departments in the 12 months to
30 June this year, with
presentations increasing by an
average of 4.3% each year between
2007-08 and 2011-12.
According to the report’s findings,
during 2011-12 90% of patients had
left the emergency department
within eight and a half hours.
The figures track well in terms of
the National Emergency Access
Target which aims to have 90% of
emergency department visits
completed in four hours or lessfrom
arrival, to when patients go
home or are admitted to the
hospital, by 2015.
The best performing state in
terms of moving towards the
Access Target, according to the
report, was Western Australia
which had the highest proportion
of emergency department visits
completed in four hours or less
(79%).
Meanwhile the overall proportion
of patients seen on time varied
across states and territories, from
54% in the Northern Territory to
76% in New South Wales and in
South Australia.
In addition the report found that
around 28% of emergency
department patients were admitted
to hospital after their emergency
department care, and that for these
patients, 29% were admitted in
four hours or less, and 90% were
admitted within 14 and a half
hours.
Moreover 50% of patients
commenced treatment by a
medical officer or nurse within 21
minutes of presenting to an
emergency department, and
treatment commenced for 90% of
patients within 108 minutes of
presentation.
Meanwhile about 72% of patients
commenced treatment within an
appropriate time for their urgency
category, and almost 100% of
resuscitation patients and 80% of
emergency patients were seen on
time.
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