Waiting times for myringoplasty surgery
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Median waiting time for elective myringoplasty surgery was 176 days for First Nations people in 2022–24.
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 2022–24, there were 503 admissions for First Nations people from public hospital waiting lists for elective myringoplasty surgery. Of these patients:
- 50% waited at least 176 days (around 6 months) for admission, which was shorter than for non-Indigenous Australians at 287 days (over 9 months)
- 90% were admitted within 677 days.
In 2022–24, most First Nations people admitted for myringoplasty (63.0%) were classified as Category 3 urgency (the least urgent, needing treatment within 365 days) – 57% in this urgency category were admitted for surgery within that time. There were 31.0% of First Nations people admitted for myringoplasty surgery classified as Category 2 urgency (needing treatment within 90 days) – 45% of these patients were admitted within the recommended time (Data table 3.4.2e).
Age
In 2022–24, around half (50%) of admissions for First Nations people from public hospital waiting lists for myringoplasty surgery were for children aged 0–14 (Data Table 3.4.2a). (Figure TREATMENT 26).
Figure TREATMENT 26: Waiting times for elective myringoplasty, First Nations people, by age, 2023–24
Column chart shows median waiting time for elective myringoplasty for First Nations people highest among those aged 15–34.
| Age | Median waiting time (days) |
|---|---|
| 0–9 | 88 |
| 10–14 | 196 |
| 15–34 | 218 |
| 35 and over | 183 |
| All ages | 176 |
- Data presented are for patients who complete their wait and are admitted for surgery as either an elective or emergency admission.
- 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.
- Includes public hospitals only.
- 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
The median waiting time for admission of First Nations myringoplasty patients was largely stable between 2012–13 and 2019–20, rising sharply in 2020–21 then falling in 2021–22 and 2022–23. However, in 2023–24 it rose sharply again to levels above those seen in 2020–21 during the COVID-19 pandemic and has become closer to that of non-Indigenous patients. The increase in the median waiting time in 2020–21 was likely due to restrictions put in place in 2019–20 on elective surgery (as part of the early response to the COVID-19 pandemic), which led to an increase in waiting times for most intended procedures in the following year (Figure TREATMENT 27).
Figure TREATMENT 27: Waiting times for elective myringoplasty, by Indigenous status, 2012–13 to 2023–24
Line chart shows median waiting time for elective myringoplasty fell recently for First Nations people, rose in last decade for non-Indigenous people.
| Year | First Nations | Non-Indigenous |
|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | 121 | 123 |
| 2013-14 | 119 | 134 |
| 2014-15 | 144 | 137 |
| 2015-16 | 120 | 188 |
| 2016-17 | 126 | 201 |
| 2017-18 | 107 | 239 |
| 2018-19 | 128 | 224 |
| 2019-20 | 131 | 233 |
| 2020-21 | 225 | 303 |
| 2021-22 | 182 | 286 |
| 2022-23 | 114 | 306 |
| 2023-24 | 234 | 270 |
- Data presented are for patients who complete their wait and are admitted for surgery as either an elective or emergency admission.
- 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.
- Includes public hospitals only.
- 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.