This web report explores trends in emergency department (ED) presentations in the lower urgency categories of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine’s Australasian Triage Scale. It presents information from 2017–18 to 2023–24 by remoteness areas, socioeconomic areas, Primary Health Networks (PHNs) and Statistical Area Level 3 (SA3). Reasons people may present to the ED rather than a general practitioner are also explored.
- Cat. no: PHC 22
Key findings
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Over the last 7 years, 1 in 3 ED presentations were consistently classified as lower urgency
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People in remote and very remote areas consistently had higher rates of lower urgency care than those in major cities
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People living in the most disadvantaged socioeconomic areas had much higher rates of lower urgency ED presentations
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Regional PHN areas continue to have rates well above metropolitan PHN areas