Variation in hospital admission rates may be due to system-level differences, such as limited access in some locations to effective and appropriate community-based services to manage worsening conditions. Variations in the quality of patient care provided in different locations may also be a factor.

Variation in women's healthcare interventions and maternity care indicators highlight areas of clinical practice where women require information and access to services to support their intervention choices.

Important improvements have been made in the safety and quality of surgical interventions with substantial advances in surgical methods. Considerable variation exists in admission rates for many common surgical interventions, much of which is either unexplained or potentially unwarranted.