Radiotherapy in Australia 2016–17

Data exclusion and suppression for analysis of waiting times.

In 2016–17, 250 records had missing or negative waiting times (where the ready-for-care date was after the radiotherapy start date). All negative or missing waiting times have been excluded from all waiting times calculations for this report.

In this report, waiting times are suppressed for all calculations where the number of contributing courses of radiotherapy was less than 20—that is, for the 50th and 90th percentile, and the proportion of emergency patients’ calculations. This is because the waiting times reported are likely to be highly volatile when the number of courses of radiotherapy is small.

In some cases, table cells have been suppressed to protect confidentiality where the presentation of the data could identify a patient or a service provider, and where the data supplier has made this request. From 2013–14 to 2015–16 the Northern Territory required suppression of all cells where the number of records was fewer than five. In some instances, this resulted in the need for consequential suppression of other data (including for other jurisdictions).