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released: 30 Jun 2003 author: AIHW

Information about key rural health issues is frequently inadequate. This information framework describes which questions need answering; what data is available and pitfalls in its analysis; which questions can't be answered and what we can do about it. Based on the National Health Performance Framework and written in consultation with a wide range of data experts, 'Version One' of the framework is a 'living' document, designed to be updated as data sources are improved, further data gaps are identified and more advanced methodologies are developed.

ISBN 978 1 74024 284 4; Cat. no. PHE 44; 197pp.; Out of print

Full publication

Publication table of contents

  • Preliminary material (89K PDF)
    • Title page and verso
    • Contents
    • Acknowledgments
    • Abbreviations
  • Sections
    • Introduction (31K PDF)
    • The Rural Health Information Framework (107K PDF)
    • Tiers and dimensions of the Rural Health Information Framework (228K PDF)
      • Health status (Tier 1)
        • 1.1 Health conditions
          • Chronic diseases
          • Injury
          • Mental health
          • Oral health
          • Communicable diseases
          • Birth outcomes
        • 1.2 Human function
          • Prevalence of disability
          • Days away from usual activity as a result of illness
        • 1.3 Life expectancy and wellbeing
          • Disability-adjusted life expectancy (DALE)
          • Disability-adjusted life years (DALY)
          • Self-assessed health status
          • Self-assessed happiness
        • 1.4 Deaths
          • Death rates
          • Perinatal mortality
          • Age-specific mortality
          • Premature mortality
          • Leading causes of death and excess deaths
      • Determinants of health (Tier 2)
        • 2.1 Environmental factors
          • Water
          • Sewerage
          • Food availability
          • Housing
          • Recreational and cultural facilities or spaces
          • The workplace
          • Pollutants
        • 2.2 Socioeconomic factors
          • Education
          • Employment
          • Income
          • A combined measure of education, income and employment
        • 2.3 Community capacity
          • Demographic characteristics
          • Social issues and social capital
          • Services
          • Health literacy
          • Individuals' perception of risk
          • Housing
          • Transport
          • Cost of living
          • Health of businesses
        • 2.4 Health Behaviours
          • Smoking
          • Hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption
          • Illicit drug use
          • Physical activity/inactivity
          • Nutrition
          • Sexual practices
          • Driving practices
        • 2.5 Person-related factors
          • Genetically determined diseases
          • Specific birth defects caused by environmental factors
          • Blood pressure
          • Cholesterol
          • Overweight and obesity
      • Health system performance (Tier 3)
        • 3.1 Effective
          • Retrieval for victims of trauma
          • STI education in promoting the practice of safe sex
          • Immunisation in reducing the incidence of childhood infectious diseases
          • Breast cancer and cervical screening in reducing mortality due to cancer
          • Medical and surgical treatment in producing good health outcomes
        • 3.2 Appropriate
          • Female GPs
          • Surgical procedure
          • Specialist consultations
          • Care after surgery
          • Aged care
          • Hospital accreditation
          • Waiting times for elective surgery
          • Morbidity managed in general practice
        • 3.3 Efficient
        • 3.4 Responsive
          • Acceptance of health services by Indigenous people
          • Confidentiality
          • Waiting times by public patients for elective surgery
          • Response time in emergency departments
          • Bulk billing
          • Waiting times for allied health workers
          • Waiting time for results of diagnostic tests
          • Closed books
          • Satisfaction
        • 3.5 Accessible
          • Distance
          • Discrimination
          • Financial constraints
          • Health facilities and health professionals
          • Disability services
          • Continuity
        • 3.6 Safe
          • Medical/surgical misadventure
          • Survival rates in intensive care units
        • 3.7 Continuous
          • Care planning and case conferencing
        • 3.8 Capable
        • 3.9 Sustainable
          • Training of the rural health workforce
          • Recruitment and retention of the rural health workforce
          • Hours worked and age of health workers
          • On-call work
    • Indicator documentation (283K PDF)
      • Health status (Tier 1)
        • 1.1 Health conditions dimension
          • Prevalence of chronic diseases
          • Prevalence of injuries
          • Prevalence of depressive, anxiety and substance abuse disorders
          • Decayed, missing and filled teeth
          • Communicable diseases
          • Birth outcomes
        • 1.2 Human function dimension
          • Prevalence of disability
          • Reduced activity because of illness
        • 1.3 Life expectancy and wellbeing dimension
          • Life expectancy
          • Self-assessed health status
          • Happiness
        • 1.4 Deaths dimension
          • Overall mortality
          • Perinatal mortality
          • Age-specific mortality
          • Premature mortality
          • Leading causes of death and excess deaths
      • Determinants of health (Tier 2)
        • 2.1 Environmental factors dimension
          • Fluoridated water
        • 2.2 Socioeconomic factors dimension
          • Educational status of the adult population
          • High school retention rates
          • Progression from school to university
          • Workforce and employment
          • Household income
          • Gap between rich and poor
          • Sources of income
          • SEIFA
        • 2.3 Community capacity dimension
          • Demography
          • Dependency ratio
          • Internal migration
          • Fertility
          • Community safety
          • Perception of risk
          • Housing tenure
          • Overcrowding in households
          • Transport
          • Cost of living
          • Business activity
        • 2.4 Health behaviours dimension
          • Tobacco
          • Alcohol
          • Illicit drugs
          • Physical activity and inactivity
          • Nutrition
          • Sexual practices
        • 2.5 Person-related factors dimension
          • Genetically determined diseases
          • Specific birth defects
          • Overweight/obesity
      • Health system performance (Tier 3)
        • 3.1 Effective dimension
          • Immunisation rates
          • Breast cancer and cervical screening participation rate
        • 3.2 Appropriate dimension
          • Female GPs
          • Specialist hospital procedures
          • Specialist consultations
          • Aged care
          • Morbidity managed in general practice
        • 3.3 Efficient dimension
        • 3.4 Responsive dimension
          • Waiting times for elective surgery
          • GP Bulk billing
        • 3.5 Accessible dimension
          • Distance to medical services
          • Numbers of health workers
          • Hospital separations and bed days
          • Primary care medical consultations
          • Dental consultations
          • Prescription
          • Access to disability services
        • 3.6 Safe dimension
          • Surgical and medical misadventure
        • 3.7 Continuous dimension
          • Care planning and case conferencing
        • 3.8 Capable dimension
          • Hospital accreditation
        • 3.9 Sustainable dimension
          • Workforce in training
          • GP retention
          • Hours worked and age of health workers
    • Data gaps (76KB PDF)
      • Generic issues
        • Indigenous identification
        • Surveys
        • Geographic classification
        • Other issues
      • Issues for which it is not possible to report and why (by each dimension of the framework)
      • Data sources used in reporting against the indicators and their constraints
      • Strategies to overcome data constraints
    • End matter (97KB PDF)
      • References
      • Appendix 1
      • Appendix 2

Recommended citation

AIHW 2003. Rural, regional and remote health: information framework and indicators. Version 1. Cat. no. PHE 44. Canberra: AIHW.