The Third Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation investigates four clinical areas, including neonatal and paediatric health. This chapter includes early planned caesarean sections without medical or obstetric indication, antibiotic medicines dispensing in children, and proton pump inhibitor medicines dispensing in infants.

Download infographics for the Second Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation.

The First Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation, released in November 2015, examined six clinical themes covering prescribing, diagnostic, medical and surgical interventions.

The Second Australian Atlas of Healthcare Variation, released in 2017, examines 18 clinical items across four clinical themes: chronic disease and infection – potentially preventable hospitalisations, cardiovascular, women’s health and maternity, and surgical interventions.

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.