In 2017–18, more than 330,000 potentially preventable hospitalisations were due to the five conditions in this chapter.
Gastroscopy is used to investigate, treat or monitor conditions of the upper part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These conditions mostly affect people aged 55 or over. Few people who have a gastroscopy need another one within three years.
When planning for birth by caesarean section or induction of labour, waiting until at least 39 weeks gestation results in better short- and long-term outcomes for the baby, unless there are medical or obstetric reasons for earlier birth
Tonsillectomy is used to treat recurrent throat infections that affect the tonsils (tonsillitis) and obstructive sleep apnoea. It is not clear if children with these conditions always benefit from surgery, or whether they would get better without surgery.
2020
Publication, report or update
The Fourth Atlas of Healthcare Variation 2020 - Lumbar spinal hospitalisations - full chapter
This chapter examines the use of lumbar spinal surgery to treat degenerative spinal conditions. It does not include surgery to treat infection, tumours or injury.
2021
Newsletter
This issue includes items on COVID-19, chronic disease management, treatment of low back pain, patient complaints, resource allocation, root cause analysis (RCA), surgical ‘never events’, coronial reports, and more.
Also covered are the latest issues of The Journal for Healthcare Quality, Journal of Patient Safety and Risk Management, Public Health Research & Practice and Healthcare Policy, along with the latest online papers from BMJ Quality and Safety and the International Journal for Quality in Health Care.