Hospital care

Emergency department care

Hospital emergency departments provide care for patients who present for urgent medical attention.

In 2017–18, there were 3.9 million emergency department presentations among Australian females, accounting for 50% of all presentations (AIHW 2019a). Among adult females, rates of emergency department presentations were highest in those aged 75–84 and 85 years and older (524 and 750 per 1,000 population respectively).  

For more information see Emergency department care

Admitted patient care

Admitted patient care refers to care provided by public and private hospitals to admitted patients. A hospitalisation is an episode of hospital care that starts with the formal admission process and ends with the formal separation process. 

In 2017–18, there were 5.9 million hospitalisations among Australian females, accounting for 52% of all hospitalisations (AIHW 2019b).

Hospitalisation rates generally increase with age, and are highest among women aged 85 and over (Figure 18).

Figure 18: Hospitalisations per 1,000 population, females, by age group (years), 2017–18

This vertical bar chart shows the rate of hospitalisations in females is lowest in the 1–4 and 5–14 age groups (141 and 86 per 1,000 population, respectively) after a higher rate of 482 per 1,000 in females aged under 1 year. After the 5–14 age group, rates begin to increase with increasing age until they are highest for those aged 85 years and over (1,345 per 1,000).

Note: See Box 1.1, and appendixes A and B of Admitted patient care, 2017–18 for notes on data limitations and methods.
Chart: AIHW. Source: AIHW 2019b (see Table S17.1 and Table S17.2).

For more information see Admitted patient care.