Unmet hospitalisation needs

Population groups

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status

  Does the proportion of people with disability who report unmet need for hospital admission vary for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous Australians?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (of all ages) who reported unmet need for hospital admission (needed to go to hospital but did not go) in the last 12 months, by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status. In 2018, 16% of Indigenous Australians with disability who needed to go to hospital reported an unmet need for hospital admission, as did 10% of non-Indigenous Australians (please note that the proportion for Indigenous people with disability has a high margin of error and should be used with caution).

  More detailed data by age group are shown in the table.

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  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status	% of people with disability with unmet need for hospital admission	95% Confidence Interval
  Aged 64 and under
  Indigenous	19%	(8.9%-28.8%)
  Non-Indigenous	16%	(13.6%-18.7%)
  All persons	16%	(13.5%-18.6%)
  Aged 65 and over
  Indigenous	n.p.	n.p.
  Non-Indigenous	3.7%	(2.5%-5.0%)
  All persons	3.7%	(2.6%-4.7%)
  All ages
  Indigenous	*16%	(5.5%-26.0%)
  Non-Indigenous	10%	(8.6%-11.5%)
  All persons	10%	(9.0%-11.8%)

  Notes:

  • * Should be used with caution: proportion has a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points or proportion ± MoE is <0% or >100%.
  • n.p. (not published) Category has been suppressed to avoid identifying individual people.

  1. Restricted to people with disability living in households who needed to go to hospital in the last 12 months.
  2. People have unmet need for hospital admission if they needed to go to hospital but did not go.
  3. Data source does not cover very remote areas and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
  4. Data have been randomly adjusted to avoid identifying individual people.

  Source: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2019. Microdata: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2018, ABS cat. no. 4430.0.30.002, ABS, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata in DataLab, accessed 31 March 2022.

  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview
  

• Sex and gender

  Does the proportion of people with disability who report unmet need for hospital admission vary by sex?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (of all ages) who reported unmet need for hospital admission (needed to go to hospital but did not go) in the last 12 months, for males and females. In 2018, 9.0% of males with disability who needed to go to hospital reported an unmet need for hospital admission, compared with 12% of females.

  More detailed data by age group are shown in the table.

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  Sex	% of people with disability with unmet need for hospital admission	95% Confidence Interval
  Aged 64 and under
  Males	13%	(10.0%-16.8%)
  Females	18%	(15.2%-21.2%)
  All persons	16%	(13.5%-18.6%)
  Aged 65 and over
  Males	4.1%	(1.8%-6.4%)
  Females	4.0%	(2.2%-5.7%)
  All persons	3.7%	(2.6%-4.7%)
  All ages
  Males	9.0%	(7.3%-10.7%)
  Females	12%	(9.7%-13.8%)
  All persons	10%	(9.0%-11.8%)

  Notes:

  1. Restricted to people with disability living in households who needed to go to hospital in the last 12 months.
  2. People have unmet need for hospital admission if they needed to go to hospital but did not go.
  3. Data have been randomly adjusted to avoid identifying individual people.

  Source: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2019. Microdata: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2018, ABS cat. no. 4430.0.30.002, ABS, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata in DataLab, accessed 31 March 2022.

  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview
  

• Age group

  Does the proportion of people with disability who report unmet need for hospital admission vary by age?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (of all ages) who reported unmet need for hospital admission in the last 12 months, grouped by age. In 2018, 24% of people with disability aged 25–44 who needed to go to hospital reported an unmet need for hospital admission, compared with 3.7% in the 65 and over age group.

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  Age group	% of people with disability with unmet need for hospital admission	95% Confidence Interval
  Under 25	9.7%	(5.3%-14.1%)
  25–44	24%	(18.2%-29.0%)
  45–64	15%	(11.9%-18.3%)
  65 and over	3.7%	(2.6%-4.7%)
  All ages	10%	(9.0%-11.8%)

  Notes:

  1. Restricted to people with disability living in households who needed to go to hospital in the last 12 months.
  2. People have unmet need for hospital admission if they needed to go to hospital but did not go.
  3. Data have been randomly adjusted to avoid identifying individual people.

  Source: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2019. Microdata: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2018, ABS cat. no. 4430.0.30.002, ABS, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata in DataLab, accessed 31 March 2022.

  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview
  

• Cultural and linguistic diversity status

  Does the proportion of people with disability who report unmet need for hospital admission vary by cultural and linguistic diversity background?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (of all ages) who reported unmet need for hospital admission (needed to go to hospital but did not go) in the last 12 months, by culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) status. In 2018, 8.1% of people from CALD backgrounds with disability who needed to go to hospital reported an unmet need for hospital admission, and 11% among the non-CALD group.

  More detailed data by age group are shown in the table.

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  Cultural and linguistic diversity status	% of people with disability with unmet need for hospital admission	95% Confidence Interval
  Aged 64 and under
  CALD	14%	(7.9%-20.6%)
  CALD – low English proficiency	n.p.	n.p.
  CALD – high English proficiency	16%	(7.2%-24.1%)
  Non-CALD	17%	(14.0%-19.2%)
  All persons	16%	(13.5%-18.6%)
  Aged 65 and over
  CALD	n.p.	n.p.
  CALD – low English proficiency	n.p.	n.p.
  CALD – high English proficiency	n.p.	n.p.
  Non-CALD	3.6%	(2.4%-4.9%)
  All persons	3.7%	(2.6%-4.7%)
  All ages
  CALD	8.1%	(4.5%-11.7%)
  CALD – low English proficiency	n.p.	n.p.
  CALD – high English proficiency	7.2%	(3.5%-10.9%)
  Non-CALD	11%	(9.3%-12.8%)
  All persons	10%	(9.0%-11.8%)

  Notes:

  • n.p. (not published) Category has been suppressed to avoid identifying individual people.

  1. Restricted to people with disability living in households who needed to go to hospital in the last 12 months.
  2. People have unmet need for hospital admission if they needed to go to hospital but did not go.
  3. Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) cohort includes people not born in a main English-speaking country and/or who mainly speak a language other than English at home.
  4. English proficiency is reported for people in the CALD cohort only. Low English proficiency group includes people who mainly speak a language other than English at home and say they speak English 'not well' or 'not at all'. High English proficiency group includes people who mainly speak English at home, and those who mainly speak a language other than English at home and say they speak English 'well' or 'very well'.
  5. Data have been randomly adjusted to avoid identifying individual people.

  Source: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2019. Microdata: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2018, ABS cat. no. 4430.0.30.002, ABS, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata in DataLab, accessed 31 March 2022.

  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview
  

• Remoteness

  Does the proportion of people with disability who report unmet need for hospital admission vary by remoteness?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (of all ages) who reported unmet need for hospital admission (needed to go to hospital but did not go) in the last 12 months, grouped by remoteness. In 2018, 16% of people with disability living in outer regional and remote areas who needed to go to hospital reported an unmet need for hospital admission and 9.7% of those in major cities.

  More detailed data by age group are shown in the table.

  Graph Table Notes

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  Remoteness	% of people with disability with unmet need for hospital admission	95% Confidence Interval
  Aged 64 and under
  Major cities	15%	(12.6%-17.5%)
  Inner regional	18%	(11.7%-24.0%)
  Outer regional and remote	*25%	(12.1%-37.1%)
  All areas	16%	(13.5%-18.6%)
  Aged 65 and over
  Major cities	3.7%	(2.3%-5.1%)
  Inner regional	*2.2%	(0.0%-4.6%)
  Outer regional and remote	n.p.	n.p.
  All areas	3.7%	(2.6%-4.7%)
  All ages
  Major cities	9.7%	(8.2%-11.2%)
  Inner regional	10%	(7.1%-13.4%)
  Outer regional and remote	16%	(7.7%-24.6%)
  All areas	10%	(9.0%-11.8%)

  Notes:

  • * Should be used with caution: proportion has a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points or proportion ± MoE is <0% or >100%.
  • n.p. (not published) Category has been suppressed to avoid identifying individual people.

  1. Restricted to people with disability living in households who needed to go to hospital in the last 12 months.
  2. People have unmet need for hospital admission if they needed to go to hospital but did not go.
  3. Remoteness is classified according to Accessibility and Remoteness Index of Australia. Data source does not cover very remote areas.
  4. Data have been randomly adjusted to avoid identifying individual people.

  Source: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2019. Microdata: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2018, ABS cat. no. 4430.0.30.002, ABS, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata in DataLab, accessed 31 March 2022.

  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview
  

• Disability group

  Does the proportion of people with disability who report unmet need for hospital admission vary by disability group?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (of all ages) who reported unmet need for hospital admission (needed to go to hospital but did not go) in the last 12 months, by disability group. In 2018, 20% of people with psychosocial disability who needed to go to hospital reported an unmet need for hospital admission, compared with 7.3% in the sensory and speech disability group.

  More detailed data by age group are shown in the table.

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  Disability group	% of people with disability with unmet need for hospital admission	95% Confidence Interval
  Aged 64 and under
  Sensory and speech	16%	(10.2%-22.6%)
  Intellectual	18%	(12.7%-24.1%)
  Physical restriction	18%	(15.4%-20.9%)
  Psychosocial	24%	(18.9%-29.5%)
  Head injury, stroke or acquired brain injury	*27%	(16.5%-36.8%)
  Other	20%	(16.5%-23.7%)
  All with disability	16%	(13.5%-18.6%)
  Aged 65 and over
  Sensory and speech	2.2%	(0.9%-3.6%)
  Intellectual	n.p.	n.p.
  Physical restriction	4.7%	(3.1%-6.4%)
  Psychosocial	7.9%	(3.4%-12.3%)
  Head injury, stroke or acquired brain injury	n.p.	n.p.
  Other	5.4%	(3.5%-7.3%)
  All with disability	3.7%	(2.6%-4.7%)
  All ages
  Sensory and speech	7.3%	(4.6%-10.1%)
  Intellectual	15%	(10.0%-19.3%)
  Physical restriction	11%	(10.0%-12.9%)
  Psychosocial	20%	(16.0%-24.6%)
  Head injury, stroke or acquired brain injury	16%	(10.2%-21.8%)
  Other	14%	(11.5%-15.8%)
  All with disability	10%	(9.0%-11.8%)

  Notes:

  • * Should be used with caution: proportion has a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points or proportion ± MoE is <0% or >100%.
  • n.p. (not published) Category has been suppressed to avoid identifying individual people.

  1. Restricted to people with disability living in households who needed to go to hospital in the last 12 months.
  2. People have unmet need for hospital admission if they needed to go to hospital but did not go.
  3. Components will not add to total as people may report impairments related to more than one disability group. In such cases, people are counted separately for each disability group but are only counted once in the aggregated total.
  4. Data have been randomly adjusted to avoid identifying individual people.

  Source: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2019. Microdata: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2018, ABS cat. no. 4430.0.30.002, ABS, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata in DataLab, accessed 31 March 2022.

  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview
  

• Severity of disability

  Does the proportion of people with disability who report unmet need for hospital admission vary by severity of disability?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (of all ages) who reported unmet need for hospital admission (needed to go to hospital but did not go) in the last 12 months, grouped by disability severity. In 2018, the proportion of people with disability who needed to go to hospital and reported an unmet need for hospital admission was 13% for people with severe or profound disability and 8.7% for people with other disability status.

  More detailed data by age group are shown in the table.

  Graph Table Notes

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  Severity of disability	% of people with disability with unmet need for hospital admission	95% Confidence Interval
  Aged 64 and under
  Severe or profound disability	20%	(15.3%-25.5%)
  Other disability status	14%	(10.9%-16.2%)
  All with disability	16%	(13.5%-18.6%)
  Aged 65 and over
  Severe or profound disability	4.9%	(2.5%-7.2%)
  Other disability status	2.3%	(1.0%-3.6%)
  All with disability	3.7%	(2.6%-4.7%)
  All ages
  Severe or profound disability	13%	(10.4%-16.1%)
  Other disability status	8.7%	(7.0%-10.4%)
  All with disability	10%	(9.0%-11.8%)

  Notes:

  1. Restricted to people with disability living in households who needed to go to hospital in the last 12 months.
  2. People have unmet need for hospital admission if they needed to go to hospital but did not go.
  3. Severe or profound disability means always or sometimes needing assistance or supervision with self-care, mobility, and/or communication.
  4. Data have been randomly adjusted to avoid identifying individual people.

  Source: ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2019. Microdata: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia, 2018, ABS cat. no. 4430.0.30.002, ABS, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata in DataLab, accessed 31 March 2022.

  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview