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Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation Series

Getting the best outcomes for patients and reducing harm are the goals of the Atlas series. Each Atlas examines a series of health topics, investigates variation and the possible reasons for it, and provides specific achievable actions to reduce unwarranted variation.

Mapping variation is an invaluable tool for understanding how our healthcare system is providing care. Maps of variation in care, derived from information routinely gathered by the health system, show how healthcare use differs across the country and raise important questions about why this variation might be occurring. The aim is to prompt further investigation into whether the observed variation reflects differences in people’s healthcare needs, in the informed choices they make about their treatment options, or in other factors.

Each Atlas includes data, maps, graphs, clinical commentaries and recommendations for each chapter. These can be viewed or downloaded from links on this website.

New reports

The Atlas Time Series Reports from 201617 to 202021 show trend data on opioid medicines dispensing, all ages, and antipsychotic medicines dispensing, 65 years and over. Using PBS data, the reports examine opioid and antipsychotic medicines dispensing across Australia at national, state and territory, Primary Health Network (PHN) and local levels. 

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