Key points
Monitoring levels of avoidable mortality and hospitalisation is an important part of the ongoing process of identifying priority areas and themes in a District Health Boards’ Health Needs Assessment process, and contributes to identifying continuing priorities and developing strategies to improve the health of society. Mortality/hospitalisation rates (and those that are avoidable) can act as a measure in understanding the broader and more complex multi-layered general health of society. The avoidable hospitalisation rate partly reflects effectiveness and access to primary health care.
- The overall number of avoidable hospitalisations has been decreasing in the Waikato Region since the late 1990s while the level of avoidable mortality has been increasing over the same period. Part of this increase may be due to population growth and population ageing.
- As at 2000, the age-standardised avoidable mortality rate for the Waikato DHB area was 233.1 per 100,000 population, considerably higher than the national average of 205.0.
- In Hauraki District, 3.6% of the population were the victims of avoidable mortality between 1998 and 2001 - this is the second highest of all territorial authorities within the Waikato DHB area. The level of avoidable mortality in Hauraki District was almost three times higher in 2001 than in 1998, which is the highest growth rate in the region.
- The Waikato DHB’s age-standardised avoidable hospitalisation rate in 2002 was marginally below the national rate (2,852.1 per 100,000 population compared to 2,897.8 nationally).
- In Hauraki District, the level of avoidable hospitalisation increased between 1997 and 2003.
Avoidable mortality index volume trend (base year 1988) for territorial authorities within the Waikato DHB 1988-2001
|
Hamilton City |
Hauraki |
Matamata-Piako |
Otorohanga |
South Waikato |
Thames-Coromandel |
Waikato |
Waipa |
Waitomo |
| 1988 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
| 1989 |
101.67 |
121.88 |
109.80 |
105.71 |
120.22 |
104.69 |
93.75 |
125.30 |
155.56 |
| 1990 |
100.48 |
106.25 |
88.24 |
122.86 |
121.35 |
110.94 |
87.50 |
107.83 |
125.00 |
| 1991 |
97.37 |
143.75 |
100.00 |
108.57 |
104.49 |
103.13 |
89.58 |
122.89 |
127.78 |
| 1992 |
103.82 |
134.38 |
98.04 |
94.29 |
125.84 |
112.50 |
89.58 |
99.40 |
75.00 |
| 1993 |
92.36 |
153.13 |
101.96 |
74.29 |
102.25 |
108.59 |
102.08 |
107.23 |
116.67 |
| 1994 |
97.37 |
106.25 |
119.61 |
77.14 |
89.89 |
121.09 |
104.86 |
96.39 |
119.44 |
| 1995 |
94.03 |
115.63 |
119.61 |
51.43 |
77.53 |
106.25 |
88.89 |
110.84 |
127.78 |
| 1996 |
106.68 |
115.63 |
109.80 |
77.14 |
104.49 |
112.50 |
118.75 |
116.27 |
136.11 |
| 1997 |
89.50 |
115.63 |
82.35 |
80.00 |
115.73 |
117.97 |
88.89 |
116.27 |
100.00 |
| 1998 |
93.08 |
303.13 |
250.98 |
97.14 |
102.25 |
99.22 |
94.44 |
106.63 |
155.56 |
| 1999 |
93.32 |
303.13 |
284.31 |
51.43 |
119.10 |
118.75 |
104.17 |
111.45 |
113.89 |
| 2000 |
101.91 |
312.50 |
298.04 |
114.29 |
117.98 |
112.50 |
112.50 |
134.34 |
150.00 |
| 2001 |
105.01 |
290.63 |
280.39 |
80.00 |
120.22 |
138.28 |
134.03 |
126.51 |
127.78 |
Source: Waikato District Health Board - Avoidable Mortality Factsheet
Avoidable hospitalisation index volume trend (base year 1997) for territorial authorities within the Waikato DHB 1997-2003
|
Hamilton City |
Hauraki |
Matamata-Piako |
Otorohanga |
South Waikato |
Thames-Coromandel |
Waikato |
Waipa |
Waitomo |
| 1997 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
100.00 |
| 1998 |
99.19 |
140.78 |
200.32 |
130.34 |
97.77 |
98.40 |
103.55 |
104.47 |
96.71 |
| 1999 |
104.63 |
174.29 |
285.40 |
162.92 |
102.77 |
107.92 |
100.54 |
109.99 |
126.54 |
| 2000 |
99.81 |
168.57 |
279.37 |
151.12 |
96.49 |
111.82 |
95.78 |
107.95 |
135.31 |
| 2001 |
95.05 |
180.52 |
266.67 |
126.97 |
94.47 |
108.82 |
94.11 |
100.76 |
113.38 |
| 2002 |
94.80 |
165.71 |
277.78 |
143.26 |
87.98 |
96.39 |
95.91 |
99.09 |
111.40 |
| 2003 |
92.53 |
162.34 |
293.97 |
143.26 |
79.68 |
98.70 |
91.09 |
102.27 |
108.77 |
Source: Waikato District Health Board - Avoidable Hospitalisation Factsheet
What agencies are doing
Information currently being collated.
What you can do to help
Information currently being collated.
More information
More detail on this indicator, including how and where this information is collected, is available here.
What we want to achieve
The community outcomes we are seeking to achieve by reducing avoidable mortality and hospitalisation rates are:
- We are healthy, with active lifestyles and enjoy a total sense of well-being. Everyone has access to affordable quality health services throughout the Waikato region.
- Maori enjoy the same quality of health, education, housing, employment and economic outcomes as non-Maori.