Proportion of People With Life-Limiting Illnesses Who Received Potentially Non-Beneficial Treatments at the End of Life
Identifying Attributes
Care Settings
Country
Publishing Organisation
Type of Quality Indicator
IOM Quality Dimension
Domain
Defining Attributes
Definition
This measure aims to assess the prevalence of potential overtreatment at the end of life for people with life-limiting illnesses. The desired outcome is that fewer people with life-limiting illnesses receive a potentially non-beneficial treatment at the end of their life. The computation is: (Numerator ÷ Denominator) x 100.
Numerator
Number of people with life-limiting illnesses who died within the reference year and had at least one record of receiving a potentially non-beneficial treatment as an inpatient of a public hospital at the end of life. This includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation, intravenous feeding, mechanical ventilation, or initiation of chemotherapy or dialysis in the last 30 days of life (0 to 29 days inclusive), or receipt of chemotherapy in the last 15 days of life (0 to 14 days inclusive). A treatment or intervention that is unlikely to prolong life or provide comfort at the end of life is defined as treatments identified from the Australian Classification of Health Interventions (ACHI) Codes. People with life-limiting illnesses is defined as all people who died in the reference year and had an underlying cause of death amenable to palliative care based on ICD-10 codes (Neoplasm (excludes benign neoplasms) C00-C97; Heart disease I00-I52; Cerebrovascular disease I60-I69; Renal disease N17, N18, N28; Liver disease K70-K77; Respiratory disease J06-J18, J20-J22, J40-J47, J96; Neurodegenerative disease G10, G20, G35, G122, G903, G231; Alzheimer's disease F01, F03; Dementia G30; Senility R54; HIV/AIDS B20-B24.
Denominator
Number of people with life-limiting illnesses who died within the reference year.
Exclusions
For data used to determine potentially non-beneficial treatment/intervention definition, no hospital data from the private hospital sector are accessed.
Use of Risk Adjustment
Risk Adjustments
Stratifications
Yes. Disaggregation by: State/Territory, Age, Sex, Socioeconomic area, Remoteness area, Cause of death, Potentially non-beneficial treatment.
Data Attributes
Type of Data Collection
Data Collection Methods
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) National Integrated Health Service Information (NIHSI) linked data asset. The NIHSI, managed under the custodianship of the AIHW, is an enduring linked data asset that brings together state/territory hospitals data with national health administrative datasets using probabilistic linkage. Participation in and contribution to the NIHSI by states and territories is voluntary. The NIHSI linked data asset is the only available national data that identifies inpatient procedures and cause-specific outcomes. However, this data collection does not present a complete picture of health service use, as it excludes hospital data from Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and all private hospitals nationally for this analysis, for the reference period. It omits services received by patients in specialised palliative care units in private hospitals/facilities.
Frequency of Data Collection
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
Reporting Methods
Public reporting.
Reporting Frequency
Reporting Frequency in Days
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
Source and Reference Attributes
Evidence Source
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Development of the National Palliative Care Measures. Canberra (AU): AIHW; 2024. Available from: www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/0ecbb5b1-4f83-4706-85ef-b0852318b7df/aihw-hse254-development-of-the-national-palliative-care-measures.pdf. Accessed 04 September 2024.