About the data

To assist in interpreting hospitals data, more detailed information about the data sources, data quality, analysis methods, and the definitions and classifications used are available below.

Information about data years not shown on this page may be found in previous AIHW hospitals reports, data downloads, or in the links to superseded content in the METEOR metadata below. You can also Contact us via the AIHW website.

Principal database name/data source

Data set names1

Data set METEOR metadata for recent years

Technical appendices/notes for recent years 

Admitted patient care2

AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD)

Admitted patient care NMDS

2021–22

2020–21

2019–20

2018–19

2021–22

2020–21

2019–20

2018–19

Emergency department care

AIHW National Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database (NNAPEDCD)

AIHW Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care (NAPEDC) NMDS

2021–22

2020–21

2019–20

2018–19

2021–22

2020–21

2019–20

2018–19

Elective surgery waiting times3

AIHW National Elective Surgery Waiting Times Data Collection (NESWTDC)

Elective surgery waiting times NMDS

2021–22

2020–21

2019–20

2018–19

2021–22

2020–21

2019–20

2018–19

Hospital resources3

AIHW National Public Hospital Establishments Database (NPHED)

Local Hospital Networks/Public hospital establishments (LHN/PHE) NMDS

2021-22

2020–21

2019–20

2018–19

2021-22
2020–21

2019–20

2018–19

AIHW Health Expenditure Database (HED)

Government health expenditure NMDS

2014–

2020–21

2019–20

2018–19

Non-admitted patient care

 

AIHW National Non-admitted Patient Care (aggregate) Database NNAPC(agg)D)

Non-admitted patient care aggregate (NAPC aggregate) NBEDS

2021–22

2020–21

2019–20

2018–19 and 2018–19

2021–22

2020–21

2019–20

2018–19

AIHW National Non-admitted Patient (episode-level) Database (NNAP(el)D)

Non-admitted patient (NAP) NBEDS

2021–22

2020–21

2019–20

2018–19 and 2018–19

2021–22

2020–21

2019–20

2018–19

Safety and quality

AIHW National Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteraemia Data Collection (NSABDC)

Healthcare-associated infections NBEDS

2016–

 

2020–21

2019–20

2018–19

National Hand Hygiene Data Collection

Hand hygiene NBEDS

2012–

2012–

Notes:

1. NMDS: National minimum data set. NBEDS: National best endeavours data set.

2. Some Admitted patient care data also uses the NPHED.

3. Some Hospital resources data and Elective surgery waiting times data also uses the NHMD.

Patient experience data on MyHospitals comes from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Patient experience survey.