3303.0 - Causes of Death, Australia, 2012 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 25/03/2014   
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POTENTIALLY AVOIDABLE MORTALITY

A potentially avoidable death is one that could have theoretically been avoided given an understanding of causation, the adoption of available disease prevention initiatives and the use of available health care, for persons aged under 75 years. All causes of death that make up a potentially avoidable death are categorised into either a treatable or preventable category. For a full list of the causes of death that make up potentially avoidable deaths, see Appendix 3, Avoidable Mortality. The age-standardised avoidable death rate for all males was 177.3 per 100,000 persons, more than one and a half times higher than the rate for females (104.7 per 100,000).

3.1 Avoidable deaths(a) by Sex, 2012 (b)
Males
Females
Persons
no.
SDR(c)
no.
SDR(c)
no.
SDR(c)
Rate ratio(d)
Rate difference(e)
Preventable
13 753.0
119.6
6 524.5
55.6
20 277.5
87.3
2.2
64.0
Treatable
6 742.0
57.7
5 772.5
49.1
12 514.5
53.3
1.2
8.6
Avoidable
20 495.0
177.3
12 297.0
104.7
32 792.0
140.7
1.7
72.6
(a) Avoidable deaths is comprised of treatable and preventable deaths. See Appendix 3, Avoidable Mortality, for more information.
(b) Causes of death data for 2012 are preliminary and subject to a revisions process. See Explanatory Notes 29-33 and Technical Notes, Causes of Death Revisions, 2006 in Causes of Death, Australia, 2010 and Causes of Death Revisions, 2010 and 2011 in this publication.
(c) Standardised death rate. Deaths per 100,000 of estimated mid-year population. See Glossary for further information.
(d) Rate ratio is the male death rate divided by the female death rate.
(e) Rate difference is the male death rate less the female death rate.