Interactive data visualisation: Medication prescriptions dispensed by age and sex

This interactive data visualisation (Figure 3.4) presents data on medication dispensing for the top 10 ATC3 groups dispensed to humanitarian entrants by age and sex. Comparisons are presented for other permanent migrants and the rest of the Australian population.

How to interpret the interactive data visualisation

Measures

  • Proportion of the population who was dispensed a prescription: the percentage of people in an age and sex group within each of the population groups who were dispensed at least one medication prescription in 2021.
  • Rate of prescriptions dispensed per 1,000 people: the number of medication prescriptions dispensed in 2021 for people in an age and sex group within each of the population groups per 1,000 people in this population.

The following data visualisation (Figure 3.4) presents bar charts. There are 3 data filtering elements to choose from:

  • a drop-down menu to filter by medication group
  • two buttons to filter by a measure, either:
    • proportion of the population who was dispensed a prescription
    • rate of prescriptions dispensed per 1,000 people
  • a toggle switch to view the data by sex.

Figure 3.4: Medication prescriptions dispensed by age and sex, 2021

The rates of antidepressant prescription dispensing were higher in females than males for humanitarian entrants, other permanent migrants and the rest of the Australian population.

Notes

  1. ‘Proportion of the population who was dispensed a prescription’ is the number of people who were dispensed at least one PBS prescription for a medication in 2021 out of the total population group for sex and age group.
  2. 'Rate of prescriptions dispensed per 1,000 people’ is the number of prescriptions for medications that were dispensed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) per 1,000 people in a population between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021.
  3. Data were not presented and marked as ‘n.p.’ (not published) when suppression was applied to manage confidentiality.
  4. For more information on how these data were calculated, see Technical notes.

References

Person-Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA), 2021, PLIDA Modular Product, ABS DataLab. Findings based on use of PLIDA data.

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