Hospitalisations 2021-2022, pandemic year (AIHW)

COVID measures: lockdowns and travel restrictions until end of 2021, returning to normal in early 2022, all compulsory public health restrictions ceased by September 2022

Hospitalisations (in public hospitals) in 2021/22- pandemic year:
* In 2021/2022, there were over 25,000 hospitalisations for asthma (in public and private hospitals), of which more than 10,000 (42%) were in children aged under 15.(ref 1)
*90% of asthma hospitalisations were considered potentially preventable.(ref 1, 2) — scroll down to PPH by states and territory table

* there were about 25,500 hospitalisations with asthma as principal diagnosis in 2021-22 (hospitalisation rate of 99 per 100,000 population, or 101.5 per 100,000 when age-standardised), representing 0.2% of all hospitalisations in Australia (ref 3)

By age groups: (see graph below)
* most of asthma hospitalisations were in children aged 0-9 (ref 3)
* children aged 0–14 had a markedly higher hospitalisation rate than people aged 15 and over (225 vs 70 per 100,000 population) (ref 3)
* boys aged 0–14 were 1.6 times as likely as girls of the same age to be admitted to hospital for asthma (ref 3)
*in people aged 15 and over, females were 2.4 times as likely as males to be admitted to hospital for asthma (ref 3)

For potentially preventable hospitalisations by states, see: AIHW. Admitted patient care 2021-22. Table S8.2. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/myhospitals/sectors/admitted-patients

For potentially preventable hospitalisations counts, rates and average length of stay at the National, PHN and SA3 level, download data table from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/primary-health-care/potentially-preventable-hospitalisations-2020-22/data (ref 4)

Graph available at https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-respiratory-conditions/asthma (Ref 3, accessed 8 Oct 2024):

Note: first entry on 13/07/2023; last update on 8/10/2024

Categories: Children and young people, Hospitalisation
Author: Agnes
Entry Date: 8/10/24
Source 1 Name: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Principal diagnosis data cubes [Internet]. Separation statistics by principle diagnosis (ICD-10-AM 11th edition), Australia 2021-22 .Canberra: Australian AIHW, 2023 [cited 12 Jul 2023]. (Note: open data cube Separation statistics by principal diagnosis 2021-22; navigate to tab 5-char PDx counts summary and add Sum of Separations for J45 and J46, tab 5-char PDx counts Data for age-specific hospitalisation counts)
Source 1 URL: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/hospitals/principal-diagnosis-data-cubes/contents/data-cubes
Source 2 Name: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2023, Admitted patients 2021/22: Australian hospital statistics. Data download 8: Safety and quality of the health systems. Canberra: AIHW. (note: tab S8.2)
Source 2 URL: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/myhospitals/sectors/admitted-patients#more-data
Source 3 Name: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Asthma [Internet]. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2023 [cited 2024 Jan. 4].
Source 3 URL: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-respiratory-conditions/asthma
Source 4 Name: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Potentially preventable hospitalisations in Australia by small geographic areas, 2020–21 to 2021–22 [Internet]. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2024 [cited 2024 Oct. 8].
Source 4 URL: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/primary-health-care/potentially-preventable-hospitalisations-2020-22