This report presents a broad range of information about types of admissions to and expenditure in Australian public and private hospitals. In 2007-08 there were: 7.9 million hospitalisations , 60% of these were in public acute hospitals; 566,000 admissions from public hospital elective surgery waiting lists with a median waiting time of 34 days; 7.1...

Health cardholders such as age pensioners and the unemployed have government entitlement cards and are eligible for public dental care. Health cardholders who visit a public dentist have a similar level of oral health and receive similar dental care as those who visit a private dentist. But while dental health and care was similar for...

This report explains what chronic kidney disease is and describes its extent and patterns in the Australian community. Chronic kidney disease contributed to nearly 10% of all deaths in Australia in 2006 and over 1.1 million hospitalisations in 2006-07. Risk factors for chronic kidney disease are highly prevalent in Australia and the number of Australians...

As the Australian population ages and more older Australians retain their natural teeth, more people living in residential aged care are developing complex oral disease and dental problems. This report shows that carers play a crucial role in helping maintain the oral health of older adults in residential aged care, including the identification and referral...

About 100 people aged 55 years or older die by drowning each year in Australia. About another 75 per year are admitted to hospital following non-fatal drowning. About one-third of these cases have characteristics that suggest that they were severe. Of the drowning deaths, about 72% are unintentional, 24% are suicides, 3% are of undetermined...