Palliative care admissions into hospital rose by over 50 per cent between 2001 and 2010, according to a new report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

 

The Palliative care services in Australia report shows that there were almost 56,000 palliative care admissions in public and private hospitals in 2009-10, with the average age of admitted patient being 71.9.

 

The rate of admission as a proportion of the population, taking age into account, was also higher for males than females (28.0 and 19.4 per 10,000 people, respectively).

“Although there were more palliative care admissions for males overall, in the 25-54 age group there were more admissions for women,” AIHW Spokesperson Brent Diverty said.

 

People aged 75 years and over accounted for about half of all palliative care admissions. The proportion of palliative care admissions increases with age, with only about 1 in 10 of the total number being for patients under 55 years.

 

Most palliative care admissions in Australia were to public hospitals (85%), particularly in New South Wales (92%) and Victoria (89%). In Western Australia, however, most palliative care admissions were to private hospitals (61%). Among all general practice encounters in 2010-11 about 1 in 1,000 were palliative care-related.