Emergency department care
-
In 2021–23, there were around 21,300 visits to an emergency department by First Nations people where the main diagnosis was an ear related condition.
-
50%
of emergency department visits with an ear related main diagnosis were for children aged 0–14.
Emergency departments are a vital part of Australia’s health care system, providing care for people who need urgent medical attention.
In 2021–23, there were around 21,300 visits to an emergency department by First Nations people where the main diagnosis was a disease of the ear or mastoid process. This was a rate of 10.6 per 1,000 population.
About the data
This section presents information on the number and rate of people who visited the emergency department of a public hospital and whose main diagnosis was a disease of the ear or mastoid process. This includes diseases of the outer, middle and inner ear, hearing loss, and other ear conditions, as listed in the International Classification of Disease (ICD10, 11th edition, Australian modification) under Diseases of the ear and mastoid process (codes H60–H95).
The information comes from the AIHW National Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database (NNAPEDC).
Most patients who receive care in emergency departments are non-admitted patients – they have not been formally admitted to hospital, although they may be admitted afterwards.
Age and sex
In 2021–23, around half of all emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related by First Nations people (10,700) were for children aged 0–14.
Rates of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related were highest among young First Nations children.
Among First Nations children aged 1, there were 35.5 emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related per 1,000 population in 2021–23, the highest rate across age groups. Rates of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related for other First Nations children aged under 4 were around 25 per 1,000 population.
Higher rates of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related among young First Nations children than among older First Nations people are likely to be largely attributable to high rates of middle ear disease among First Nations children. First Nations children aged 0–14 with middle ear disease accounted for over half of all hospital admissions for a main diagnosis of ear disease among First Nations people in 2021–23. See Hospitalisations for ear and hearing related conditions
Among First Nations people aged 15 and over, rates of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related were lower than 10 per 1,000 population.
The age pattern of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related was similar for First Nations people and non-Indigenous Australians, though the levels were higher among First Nations people for all age groups (Figure TREATMENT 1).
Figure TREATMENT 1: Emergency department visits for main diagnosis of diseases of the ear and mastoid process, by Indigenous status and age, 2021–23
Column chart shows rate of ear related visits to emergency by First Nations people is highest among young children, with a lower peak at 30–34 years.
| Age | First Nations | Non-Indigenous |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 24.7 | 8.1 |
| 1 | 35.5 | 15.4 |
| 2 | 25.7 | 10.9 |
| 3 | 24.8 | 11.6 |
| 4 | 22.3 | 11.2 |
| 5 | 20.6 | 9.5 |
| 6 | 16.1 | 7.8 |
| 7 | 14.1 | 6.2 |
| 8 | 11.6 | 5.2 |
| 9 | 10.7 | 4.6 |
| 10 | 10.2 | 4.2 |
| 11 | 9.1 | 3.7 |
| 12 | 8 | 3.5 |
| 13 | 7.3 | 3.1 |
| 14 | 6.8 | 2.9 |
| 15–19 | 7.3 | 3.3 |
| 20–24 | 8.3 | 3.3 |
| 25–29 | 9.1 | 3.1 |
| 30–34 | 9 | 3.2 |
| 35–39 | 9.8 | 3.1 |
| 40–44 | 8.2 | 3 |
| 45–49 | 7.2 | 3 |
| 50–54 | 7.4 | 3 |
| 55–59 | 6.9 | 2.9 |
| 60–64 | 6 | 3 |
| 65–69 | 5 | 3 |
| 70–74 | 4.3 | 3.2 |
| 75 and over | 5.3 | 3.4 |
- To calculate rates for the First Nations population, projections (medium series) based on the 2021 Census have been used (ABS 2011-to-2031). Rates for non-Indigenous Australians are calculated using total population estimates based on the 2021 Census (ABS 2022) and subtracting the projections for First Nations people.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database – and ABS population estimates and projections for rate calculations.
In 2021–23, the rate of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related among First Nations people was higher for females (11.6 per 1,000 population) than for males (9.7 per 1,000 population) (data table 3.1b).
Among First Nations children aged 0–4, the rate of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related was higher for males (28 per 1,000 population) than for females (25 per 1,000 population).
In contrast, among those aged from 20–39, rates of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related were much higher among First Nations females than males.
Rates of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related among First Nations males ranged from 5.7 to 6.8 per 1,000 population for those aged 20–39 and ranged from 11.1 to 12.9 per 1,000 population among females aged 20–39 (Figure TREATMENT 2).
Figure TREATMENT 2: Emergency department visits for main diagnosis of diseases of the ear and mastoid process, First Nations people, by age and sex, 2021–23
Column chart shows rate of ear related visits to emergency by First Nations people higher for boys than girls, higher for adult females than males.
| Age | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 26.9 | 22.4 |
| 1 | 37.9 | 32.9 |
| 2 | 26.8 | 24.5 |
| 3 | 25.5 | 24.1 |
| 4 | 24.2 | 20.2 |
| 5 | 20.3 | 20.9 |
| 6 | 15.9 | 16.3 |
| 7 | 14.2 | 14 |
| 8 | 12.2 | 11 |
| 9 | 10.3 | 11.1 |
| 10 | 8.8 | 11.7 |
| 11 | 8.6 | 9.5 |
| 12 | 7.8 | 8.3 |
| 13 | 7.1 | 7.5 |
| 14 | 5.4 | 8.3 |
| 15–19 | 6.2 | 8.5 |
| 20–24 | 5.7 | 11.1 |
| 25–29 | 6.7 | 11.7 |
| 30–34 | 6.4 | 11.5 |
| 35–39 | 6.8 | 12.9 |
| 40–44 | 6.9 | 9.3 |
| 45–49 | 5.3 | 8.9 |
| 50–54 | 6.3 | 8.3 |
| 55–59 | 6.2 | 7.5 |
| 60–64 | 5.4 | 6.5 |
| 65–69 | 4.5 | 5.4 |
| 70–74 | 4.1 | 4.5 |
| 75 and over | 4.4 | 6.1 |
- To calculate rates for the First Nations population, projections (medium series) based on the 2021 Census have been used (ABS 2011-to-2031).
Source: AIHW analysis of National Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database – and ABS population estimates and projections for rate calculations.
Remoteness
In 2021–23, rates of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related among First Nations people were:
- lowest among those living in Major Cities, at 5.4 per 1,000 population
- highest in Remote Areas, at 27.7 per 1,000 population (Table 3.1c).
Rates of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related among First Nations people aged 0–14 were higher than those for older First Nations people across all remoteness areas.
In Remote areas, the rate of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related among First Nations people aged 0–14 was over 46 per 1,000 population, compared with around 22 per 1,000 First Nations people aged 15–34 or 35–54 (Figure TREATMENT 3).
Figure TREATMENT 3: Emergency department visits for main diagnosis of diseases of the ear and mastoid process, First Nations people, by remoteness and age, 2021–23
Column chart shows rate of ear or hearing visits to emergency by First Nations people highest in Remote areas and for all areas higher for those 0–14.
| Remoteness | 0–14 | 15–34 | 35–54 | 55 and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major cities | 8 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.4 |
| Inner regional | 17.3 | 9.8 | 8.5 | 5.8 |
| Outer regional | 19.2 | 11 | 9 | 6.4 |
| Remote | 46.4 | 21.5 | 21.9 | 12.7 |
| Very remote | 27.6 | 10.8 | 11.3 | 8.2 |
- Data are reported by the usual residence of the patient.
- To calculate rates for the First Nations population, projections (medium series) based on the 2021 Census have been used (ABS 2011-to-2031).
Source: AIHW analysis of National Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database – AIHW population modelling using ABS population estimates and projections.
States and territory
Nationally, there were 10.6 emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related per 1,000 First Nations people in 2021–23.
Across states and territories, the rate of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related among First Nations people ranged from 3.5 per 1,000 population in Tasmania to 17.9 per 1,000 population in Western Australia (data table 3.1d). Across all states and territories, the rate of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related was higher among those aged 0–14 than in any other age group (Figure TREATMENT 4).
Figure TREATMENT 4: Emergency department visits for main diagnosis of diseases of the ear and mastoid process, First Nations people, by state/territory and age, 2021–23
Column chart shows rate of ear related visits to emergency by First Nations people higher for those 0–14 across states and territories.
| State/territory | 0–14 | 15–34 | 35–54 | 55 and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 19.3 | 10.1 | 9.4 | 6.3 |
| Vic. | 8.3 | 5.6 | 4.4 | 3.8 |
| Qld | 9.6 | 5.5 | 4.9 | 3.9 |
| WA | 28.4 | 13.1 | 14.4 | 9.6 |
| SA | 13.6 | 6.5 | 6.3 | 5.4 |
| Tas. | 4.7 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| ACT | 7.7 | 5.6 | 3.6 | 2.8 |
| NT | 28.2 | 10.1 | 12.1 | 8.8 |
- Data are reported by state/territory of usual residence of the patient.
- Includes other areas (e.g. 'other territories' and 'missing') as place of usual residence.
- To calculate rates for the First Nations population, projections (medium series) based on the 2021 Census have been used (ABS 2011-to-2031). Rates for non-Indigenous Australians are calculated using total population estimates based on the 2021 Census (ABS 2022) and subtracting the projections for First Nations people.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database – and ABS population estimates and projections for rate calculations.
Indigenous region
Across Indigenous regions, the rate of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related by First Nations people in 2021–23 ranged from under 2 per 1,000 population in Torres Strait and Cape York to 56 per 1,000 population in Tennant Creek (Figure TREATMENT 5).
Figure TREATMENT 5: Emergency department visits for main diagnosis of diseases of the ear and mastoid process among First Nations people, Indigenous region, 2021–23
Source: AIHW analysis of National Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database – and AIHW population modelling using ABS population estimates and projections for rate calculations.
Over time
Between 2013–14 and 2022–23 the rate of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related among First Nations people increased from 6.1 to 11.0 per 1,000 population (age-standardised rate).
Over the same period the rate of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related among non-Indigenous Australians increased from 3.8 to 4.1 per 1,000 population (data table 3.1e).
Rates of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related generally increased from 2013–14 to 2022–23 among First Nations people in all age groups.
First Nations children aged 0–2 had the highest rate of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related per 1,000 population across age groups, and the rate increased from 21.3 per 1,000 population in 2013–14 to 32.9 per 1,000 population in 2022–23. In comparison, the rate of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related among non-Indigenous children aged 0–2 decreased from 12.1 per 1,000 population to 12.0 per 1,000 population over the same period.
In older age groups, rates of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related among First Nations people were lower, but there were large increases from 2013–14 to 2022–23. Among First Nations people aged 15–34, the rate of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related increased from 5.1 per 1,000 population in 2013–14 to 9.4 per 1,000 population in 2022–23. Among First Nations people aged 35–54, the rate of emergency department visits where the main diagnosis was ear related increased from 5.0 per 1,000 population in 2013–14 to 9.4 per 1,000 population in 2022–23 (Figure TREATMENT 6).
Figure TREATMENT 6: Emergency department visits for main diagnosis of diseases of the ear and mastoid process, by Indigenous status and age, 2014–15 to 2022–23
Source: AIHW analysis of National Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database – and ABS population estimates and projections for rate calculations.