Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe variations in rates of hospital admissions for asthma in Victoria as health indicators of quality of primary care services and access. DESIGN: Routine analyses of age and sex standardised admission rates of asthma in rural and metropolitan Victoria from 1993-1994 to 1999-2000. RESULTS: There were 10,079 admissions for asthma, with an average of 2.71 bed days in 1999-2000. The admission rate for asthma decreased from 3.1/1000 (95% CI: 3.1-3.2) in 1993-1994 to 2.2/1000 (2.1-2.2) in 1999-2000, with a 37% reduction in rural regions and 26% in metropolitan regions. Sixteen primary care partnerships (small areas), 13 of them rural, had significantly higher admission rates than the Victorian average. CONCLUSION: Although asthma hospital admission rates are falling faster in rural than metropolitan areas, rural areas still have higher admission rates with significant variation between small areas.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 286-288 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Australian Family Physician |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2003 |