People Aged 65 Years and Over Who Received the 'Triple Whammy'
Identifying Attributes
Care Settings
Primary Care
Country
New Zealand
Publishing Organisation
Health Quality & Safety Commission
Type of Quality Indicator
Process
IOM Quality Dimension
Safety
Domain
Medications and Medication Management
Defining Attributes
Definition
Triple whammy is the combination of an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI)/angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), a diuretic and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID).
Numerator
People who received an antipsychotic per year. Dispensing of all three medicines to be within the same 90-day period.
Denominator
New Zealand population, using Stats NZ population projections for the relevant years.
Exclusions
Aspirin was not included in this indicator due to the difficulties of differentiating between high dose aspirin for pain relief and low dose use for primary prevention of heart problems
Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments
Stratifications
By year: 2012-2019, Ethnicity: Māori, Pacific peoples, Asian, European/Other Age (years) 65-74, 75-84, 85+, Sex: F, M
Collection and Reporting Attributes
Type of Data Collection
Administrative data
Data Collection Methods
Pharmaceutical Collection
Frequency of Data Collection
Annually
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
365
Reporting Methods
New Zealand Atlas of Healthcare Variation
Reporting Frequency
Reporting Frequency in Days
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No
Source and Reference Attributes
Technical Specifications
Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
No
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
02 December 2025
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Date Modified 02 December 2025