Waiting times for myringotomy surgery
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Median waiting time for elective myringotomy surgery was 80 days for First Nations people in 2021–23.
Elective surgery is planned surgery that can be booked in advance as a result of a specialist clinical assessment and the patient being placed on a waiting list. Data on waiting times measure the amount of time elapsed from a person being placed on a waiting list to admission for their procedure.
About the data
The data in this section come from the AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD).
The information on elective surgery waiting times presented here refers to the time between when a patient is added to a public hospital elective surgery waiting list and when they are admitted to hospital for surgery, either as an elective or emergency admission.
The data do not include the length of time for other steps in the clinical pathway for elective surgery to take place, including the time taken to diagnose the condition and refer the patient to a specialist, the time spent waiting for an appointment with a specialist and any delays between the patient seeing the specialist and being put on the surgical waiting list. It is important to note that patients may not be put straight on a surgical waiting list after seeing a specialist – other treatment or management strategies may be tried first.
Some information on elective surgery waiting times is presented by categories of urgency:
- Category 1, treatment within 30 days is recommended – the most urgent
- Category 2, treatment within 90 days is recommended
- Category 3, treatment within 365 days is recommended – the least urgent.
Data on elective surgery waiting times (for hospital admissions from public hospital elective surgery waiting lists) are available for the common ear related procedures myringotomy – an incision in the eardrum to relieve pressure or drain fluid – and myringoplasty – the repair of a hole in the eardrum.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an ongoing impact on surgery activity, including elective surgery activity, since its emergence in early 2020. More information about the impacts for the whole population is available in Australia’s hospitals at a glance (AIHW 2023). The different geographic distribution of the First Nations and non-Indigenous populations, for example by remoteness, may also be a relevant consideration. More analysis is required to better understand the factors driving some of the results presented.
Overview
In 2021–23, there were about 1,400 admissions for First Nations people from public hospital waiting lists for elective myringotomy surgery. Of these patients:
- 50% waited at least 80 days (nearly 3 months) for admission, which was similar to the result for non-Indigenous Australians (76 days)
- 90% were admitted within 280 days (around 9 months).
In 2021–23, a small proportion of First Nations people admitted for myringotomy (7%) were classified as Category 1 urgency (the most urgent, with treatment recommended within 30 days) and 95% were admitted for surgery within that time. Around 65% of First Nations people admitted for myringotomy surgery were classified as Category 2 urgency, needing treatment within 90 days. Of these patients, 62% were admitted within the recommended time (data table 3.4.1e).
Age
In 2021–23, around 9 in 10 admissions of First Nations people from public hospital waiting lists for elective myringotomy surgery were for children aged 0–14 and 5 in 10 were for First Nations children aged 0–4 (data table 3.4.1a).
The median waiting time for myringotomy surgery increased with age, from 74 days for First Nations children aged 0–2 to 84 days for those aged 10–14 and 99 days for those 15 and over (Figure TREATMENT 23).
Figure TREATMENT 23: Waiting times for elective myringotomy, First Nations people, by age, 2021–23
Column chart shows youngest First Nations children have shortest median waiting time for elective myringotomy and waiting time increases with age.
| Age | Median waiting times (days) |
|---|---|
| 0–2 | 74 |
| 3–4 | 80 |
| 5–6 | 84 |
| 7–9 | 85 |
| 10–14 | 84 |
| 15 and over | 99 |
1. Data presented are for patients who complete their wait and are admitted for surgery as either an elective or emergency admission.
2. Days waited at the 50th percentile (and the 90th percentile) is the number of days within which 50% (and 90%) of hospital patients who completed their wait were admitted to surgery.
3. Includes public hospitals only.
4. Data is the procedure for which a patient has been placed on an elective surgery waiting list.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Hospital Morbidity Database.
Remoteness
In 2021–23, waiting times for admission for First Nations people were generally shorter in more remote areas. Half (50%) of First Nations patients living in Remote areas were admitted within 72 days, while half of those living in Major cities waited 86 days (Figure TREATMENT 24).
Figure TREATMENT 24: Waiting times for elective myringotomy, First Nations people, by remoteness, 2021–23
Column chart shows median waiting time for elective myringotomy for First Nations people highest in Inner regional areas, lowest in Very Remote areas.
| Remoteness area | Median waiting time (days) |
|---|---|
| Major cities | 86 |
| Inner regional | 83 |
| Outer regional | 83 |
| Remote | 72 |
| Very remote | 46 |
1. Data presented are for patients who complete their wait and are admitted for surgery as either an elective or emergency admission.
2. Days waited at the 50th percentile (and the 90th percentile) is the number of days within which 50% (and 90%) of hospital patients who completed their wait were admitted to surgery.
3. Includes public hospitals only.
4. Data is the procedure for which a patient has been placed on an elective surgery waiting list.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Hospital Morbidity Database.
Over time
Between 2012–13 and 2022–23, the median waiting time for First Nations people for myringotomy increased by 27 days (from 54 to 81 days). Waiting times were comparable to those for non-Indigenous people over the same period (Figure TREATMENT 25).
Figure TREATMENT 25: Waiting times for elective myringotomy, by Indigenous status, 2012–13 to 2021–23
Line graph shows median waiting time for elective myringotomy increased over the decade to 2022–23 for both First Nations and non-Indigenous people.
| Year | First Nations | Non-Indigenous |
|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | 54 | 49 |
| 2013–14 | 59 | 54 |
| 2014–15 | 64 | 55 |
| 2015–16 | 54 | 58 |
| 2016–17 | 56 | 57 |
| 2017–18 | 65 | 67 |
| 2018–19 | 77 | 62 |
| 2019–20 | 71 | 62 |
| 2020–21 | 77 | 73 |
| 2021–22 | 77 | 70 |
| 2022–23 | 81 | 81 |
1. Data presented are for patients who complete their wait and are admitted for surgery as either an elective or emergency admission.
2. Days waited at the 50th percentile (and the 90th percentile) is the number of days within which 50% (and 90%) of hospital patients who completed their wait were admitted to surgery.
3. Includes public hospitals only.
4. Data is the procedure for which a patient has been placed on an elective surgery waiting list.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Hospital Morbidity Database.