Average number of services per person
The number of times a person uses a health service is influenced by many factors, including patient health needs, the available supply of services and potential barriers such as cost.
Figure 2.3 is an interactive chart where the average number of services per person was calculated for:
- people in the dementia study cohort who used the service at least once (referred to in the figures as “service users”)
- all people in the dementia study cohort, regardless of whether they used the service (referred to in the figures as “cohort”).
The following discussion relates to people who used a service at least once.
People living in the community
People living with dementia in the community in Inner regional areas tended to have similar or slightly lower rates of health service use than people in Major cities, except for specialist attendances, where the average number of attendances was lower.
Of people who used the health service at least once, those living in Remote and very remote areas of Australia had a lower average number of:
- specialist attendances and allied health attendances (total and podiatry)
but a higher average number of:
- emergency department visits and hospital stays
than people living in Major cities.
There was a similar average number of services per person across remoteness areas for:
- GP attendances
- GP chronic disease management attendances
- nursing and/or Aboriginal health worker attendances.
People living in residential aged care
Of people living with dementia in residential aged care who used the health service at least once, those living in Inner regional, Outer regional and Remote and very remote areas of Australia had a lower average number of:
- GP attendances
- specialist attendances
- nursing and/or Aboriginal health worker attendances
than people living in Major cities.
There was a similar average number of services per person across remoteness areas for:
- GP chronic disease management attendances
- allied health attendances
- emergency department visits
- hospital stays.
Figure 2.3: Average number of services per person, by place of residence, remoteness area and sex, 2019
Figure 2.3 is an interactive bar chart showing variation in the average number of services per person by remoteness area for people in the dementia study cohort living in the community or living in residential aged care. Health services groups shown are GP services, specialist services, allied health services, ED visits and hospital stays. The average number of services were calculated for people who used the service at least once in 2019 and all people in the dementia study cohort, regardless of whether they used the service in 2019 (as an indication of overall access in an area).
Notes
- The dementia study cohort refers to 158,730 people aged 30 and over who were living in Australia in 2019 and had a dementia record in the NIHSI. Western Australia and the Northern Territory were excluded from all analyses because their hospital data were not available for construction of the cohort.
- The geographies in this report are based on where a person lived, not where they received services. Remoteness areas are based on the 2016 Remoteness Area Structure within the ASGS.
- “Mean (Service users)” is the mean number of attendances per person for people in the dementia cohort who used the service at least once in 2019.
- “Mean (cohort)” is the mean number of attendances per person for all people in the dementia cohort, regardless of whether they used the service in 2019.
- Only public hospital data were included in this analysis: some of the observed variation may be due to the availability and use of private hospitals.
- The bar is blank if a value could not be published due to data quality or confidentiality concerns.
Data tables: Average number of services per person, by place of residence, remoteness area and sex