This measure aims to assess how well care is coordinated across providers and settings for people with life-limiting illnesses. This measure is about ensuring that people with life-limiting illnesses receive well-coordinated multidisciplinary care at the end of life. The desired outcome is that fewer people with life-limiting illnesses will have a potentially preventable hospitalisation in their last 3 months of life. A potentially preventable hospitalisation is indicative of a lack of early disease management and/or preventive health intervention typically delivered in primary and community-based care. There are many factors that can contribute to this including patient choice, a lack of at-home support, and/or barriers to accessing primary and community care such as geographical remoteness, affordability, or opening hours. The computation is: (Numerator ÷ Denominator) x 100.

Limitations: the term 'potentially preventable hospitalisation' may be interpreted differently by decision makers, clinicians, and patients and their families. Further, there are many factors that can contribute to a lack of individualised preventative health interventions including geographical remoteness, affordability, opening hours, patient choice, and/or a lack of at-home supports. This means it may be difficult for decision makers to identify opportunities for improvement in palliative care practice. However, clear communication and disaggregation by key demographics will likely provide useful insights for decision making at all levels.

Number of people with life-limiting illnesses with at least one potentially preventable hospitalisation in a public hospital in the last 3 months (0 to 90 days) of life within the reference year. This includes vaccine-preventable conditions, acute conditions, and chronic conditions. Namely, an admission within the reference year for any of the following three condition groups: (a) acute conditions (cellulitis, convulsions and epilepsy, dental conditions, ENT infections, gangrene, pelvic inflammatory disease, perforated/ bleeding ulcer, pneumonia, UTI); (b) chronic conditions (angina, asthma, bronchiectasis, congestive cardiac failure, COPD, diabetes complications, hypertension, iron deficiency anaemia, nutritional deficiencies, rheumatic heart disease); (c) vaccine-preventable conditions (pneumonia, influenza, other).

Number of people with life-limiting illnesses who died within the reference year.

Excludes hospital data from Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and all private hospitals nationally for this analysis, for the reference period.

Yes. Disaggregation by: State/Territory, Age, Sex, Socioeconomic area, Remoteness area, Hospitalisation condition group, Cause of death, Length of stay.

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. 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.

Hospitalisation condition group (for potentially preventable hospitalisation) is based on any record from the hospitals data in the reference period. No hospital data from the private hospital sector were accessed. Each potentially preventable hospitalisation admission is associated with at least 1 of the specified condition-groups (acute, chronic and/or vaccine-preventable). If an admission was associated with more than 1 condition-group, it was assigned to a single condition-group according to the following highest-to-lowest priority order, acute > chronic > vaccine-preventable, to allow unambiguous categorisation in the 'Hospitalisation condition group' analysis.

Public reporting.

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.

www.aihw.gov.au/reports/palliative-care-services/national-palliative-care-measures/contents/data-dictionary/measure-4-1-specifications

www.aihw.gov.au/reports/palliative-care-services/national-palliative-care-measures/contents/appropriate/measure-4-1-coordinated-care