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Health system indicators > Avoidable mortality and hospitalisation


Avoidable mortality includes deaths occurring under age 75 years that could potentially have been avoided through population-based interventions, or through preventive and curative interventions at an individual level (Ministry of Health 1999). Amenable mortality is a subset of avoidable mortality and is restricted to deaths from conditions that are amenable to health care (Ministry of Health 1999).

Avoidable hospitalisations are hospitalisations of people aged less than 75 years, that fall into three sub-categories:
  1. preventable hospitalisations – hospitalisations resulting from diseases preventable through population-based health promotion strategies
  2. ambulatory-sensitive hospitalisations – hospitalisations resulting from diseases sensitive to prophylactic or therapeutic interventions deliverable in a primary health care setting
  3. injury-preventable hospitalisations – hospitalisations avoidable through injury prevention (Ministry of Health 1999).

View the ICD code lists for these categories.

Table 38: Health system indicators

Indicators
Māori
non-Māori
Males
Females
Total
Males
Females
Total
Avoidable mortality, 0-74 years, 2000-02, rate per 100,000 1,2 *
388.3
(374.3-402.7)
277.9
(266.5-289.5)
330.4
(321.4-339.5)
149.6
(147.0-152.3)
88.2
(86.2-90.1)
118.2
(116.6-119.8)
Amenable mortality 0-74 years, 2000-02, rate per 100,000 1,2 *
136.8
(128.5-145.4)
127.8
(120.1-135.8)
132.1
(126.5-138.0)
57.5
(55.9-59.2)
49.2
(47.8-50.8)
53.3
(52.2-54.4)
Avoidable hospitalisation, 0-74 years, 2002-04, rate per 100,000 1,2 *
5489.4
(5437.2-5542.0)
5431.9
(5380.8-5483.3)
5469.9
(5433.3-5506.6)
3573.4
(3556.6-3590.2)
3143.5
(3127.7-3159.4)
3359.8
(3348.3-3371.4)
Ambulatory-sensitive hospitalisation rate, 0-74 years, 2002-04, rate per 100,000 1,2 *
4558.3
(4510.8-4606.2)
4558.1
(4511.3-4605.2)
4568.2
(4534.8-4601.8)
2886.5
(2871.4-2901.7)
2561.4
(2547.0-2575.9)
2725.5
(2715.0-2736.0)
Notes:
1Age standardised to 2001 Census total Māori population.
2Ever-Māori ethnic group - see Methods and Data Sources section for further information.
Source:* New Zealand Health Information Service

Avoidable and amenable mortality rates were two-and-a-half times higher for Māori than for non-Māori (RR 2.8, CI 2.7–2.9 for avoidable mortality; RR 2.5, CI 2.4–2.6 for amenable mortality).

Māori avoidable and ambulatory-sensitive hospitalisation rates were one-and-a-half times higher than those for non-Māori (RR 1.6, CI 1.6–1.7 for avoidable hospitalisation; RR 1.7, CI 1.7–1.7 for ambulatory-sensitive hospitalisation).

Reference
Ministry of Health. 1999. Our Health, Our Future: Hauora Pakari, Koiora Roa. Wellington: Ministry of Health

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