AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF HEALTH AND WELFARE (AIHW)
NAME OF COLLECTION
National Hospital Morbidity Database (NMDS)
OVERVIEW
The purpose of the NMDS for Admitted patient care is to collect information about care provided to admitted patients in Australian hospitals. The scope of the NMDS is separations (episodes of care for admitted patients) in all public and private acute and psychiatric hospitals, free-standing day hospital facilities and alcohol and drug treatment centres in Australia. Hospitals operated by the Australian Defence Force, corrections authorities and in Australia's off-shore territories may also be included. Hospitals specialising in dental, ophthalmic aids and other specialised acute medical or surgical care are included
Separations can be a total hospital stay (from admission to discharge, transfer or death), or a portion of a hospital stay beginning or ending in a change of type of care (for example, from acute to rehabilitation). A record is included for each separation, not for each patient. So patients who separate more than once have more than one record in the database.
The collection includes data for the years from 1993-94 to 2008-09.
SCOPE
The scope of the NMDS is separations (episodes of care for admitted patients) in all public and private acute and psychiatric hospitals, free-standing day hospital facilities and alcohol and drug treatment centres in Australia. Hospitals specialising in dental, ophthalmic aids and other specialised acute medical or surgical care are included. Hospitals operated by the Australian Defence Force, corrections authorities and in Australia's off-shore territories may also be included. Variations in admission practices and policies lead to variation among providers in the number of admissions for some conditions.
The scope of the data collection has also varied from year to year. Comparisons between the states and territories, reporting years and hospital sectors should be therefore made with caution.
DATA DETAIL
The main data items include:
- Demographic data
- Sex
- Date of birth
- Age, age group (in 5-year groups)
- Country of birth
- Indigenous status
- State and local area of residence (Statistical Local Area, Statistical Subdivision, Statistical Division, from 1997-98)
- Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Areas of patient's residence (from 1995-96)
- Remoteness Area of patient's residence (from 2000-01)
- Establishment data
- State or territory of the hospital
- Sector (public, private)
- Administrative data
- Funding source for hospital patient
- Urgency of admission
- Length of stay data
- Length of stay
- Same day flag (to indicate separation/discharge on the same day as admission)
- Clinical and related data
- Principal diagnosis (the diagnosis established after study to be chiefly responsible for occasioning the patient's episode of care in hospital)
- Additional diagnoses (include coexisting conditions and/or complications)
- Procedures (surgical and non-surgical)
- Major Diagnostic Category (MDC) and Australian Refined Diagnosis Related Group (AR-DRG)
- Care type (for example acute, rehabilitation, palliative, newborn) (from 1995-96 for some jurisdictions; the newborn category was introduced in 1998-99)
- Admission mode
- Separation mode (status at separation: discharge/transfer/death and place to which person is released)
- External causes of injury or poisoning
- Places of occurrence of external cause
- Activity when injured
CLASSIFICATIONS
- Diagnoses, procedures and external causes of injury are recorded using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)
GEOGRAPHIC DETAIL
The collection includes data for:
- State/territory
- Statistical Division, Statistical Subdivision, Statistical Local Area of usual residence
- Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Areas
- Remoteness Areas
AVAILABILITY OF DATA AND PUBLICATIONS
The AIHW provides a variety of products that draw upon the National Hospital Morbidity Database. Published products available on the
AIHW website are:
• Australian hospital statistics with associated Excel tables.
• Interactive data cube for Admitted patient care (for Principal diagnoses, Procedures and Diagnosis Related Groups).
Other media (e.g. electronic delivery, internet, CD Rom, floppy disk, special data services) are available on request.
Ad hoc data are available on request.
A charge may apply depending upon the exact requirements and complexity of the analysis undertaken. Provision of data is also subject to the strictest conditions with respect to
privacy and confidentiality.
CONTACT DETAILS
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website can be found at
www.aihw.gov.au.
Unit Head
Hospitals and Performance Group
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
PO Box 570
Canberra
ACT 2601
Email:
hospitaldata@aihw.gov.au
Ph: (02) 6244 1157
Fax: (02) 6244 1299
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