What interventions were performed?

Interventions reported for admitted patients can include surgical procedures, non‑operating room procedures (for example, dialysis), procedures of a patient support nature (for example, general anaesthesia) and other interventions (for example, physiotherapy and other allied health interventions).

In 2017–18:

  • 23.7 million interventions were reported—12.1 million in public hospitals and 11.6 million in private hospitals
  • 76% (5.1 million) of public hospital separations and 95% (4.3 million) of private hospital separations involved at least one intervention
  • not all hospitalisations involved an intervention, including about 24% in public hospitals and 5% in private hospitals
  • apart from general anaesthesia, haemodialysis (dialysis, which patients usually require 3 to 5 times a week) was the most common single intervention reported in Australian hospitals.

Where to go for more information

For more information on interventions performed, see Chapter 6 of Admitted patient care 2017–18: Australian hospital statistics.