Emergency Department (ED) presentations 2022-2023 (AIHW)

In 2022-23 there were about 97,000 people Emergency Department presentations in public hospitals with asthma.*
Specifically, asthma 96,866 presentations were recorded across complexity level A, B and C, of which:
– about 44,000 (45%) were admitted (including admission in the emergency department, admission to another hospital ward, including a short stay unit, or admission to hospital-in-the-home)
– about 53,000 (55%) were not admitted
– 1% were triaged as rescussitations
– 36% were triaged as emergencies
– 49% were triaged as urgent
– 13% were triaged as semi-urgent
– <1% were triaged as non-urgent

*ED presentations included all types of visits, including Emergency presentation but also Return planned visit (e.g for Follow-up tretament, test results etc), pre-arranged admission and dead on arrival (without resuscitation attempt) (see https://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/684942)

Note: This data differs from AIHW asthma webpage which lists ED due to asthma (asthma as the principal diagnosis)

Note: the number of admissions here is different from the hospitalisation number provided through the AIHW “Admitted Patient Care”. Admitted patient care provides a count of hospitalisations with asthma as principal diagnosis (i.e. main reason for hospitalisation)