GRAMPIANS residents have spent more than 9000 days in hospital for potentially preventable conditions, new data has shown.
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The new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data showed there were 2103 potentially preventable hospitalisations in the Grampians region in 2015-16 for a variety of issues including dental conditions, diabetes complications and vaccine-preventable diseases.
The average length of stay for each case was 4.6 days.
Conditions that caused the longest preventable hospital stay was bronchiectasis, with 6.5 days, pneumonia and influenza with 6.4 days and diabetes complications with 6.3 days.
Western Victoria Primary Health Network medical adviser Jane Opie said preventable hospitalisations occurred when people had to go to hospital for conditions that could have been prevented if the patient was treated earlier.
“Dental conditions is a common one,” she said.
“If people look after their oral health regularly, they are less likely to be admitted to hospital for dental conditions.”
The Grampians had the fifth highest rate of hospitalisations for dental conditions in the state, with a rate of 437 per 100,000 people.
“That is one area of concern in the region – we have a very high rate of dental-related preventable hospitalisations,” Dr Opie said.
“One of the main barriers that stops people from getting treatment earlier is costs.”
Dr Opie said preventable hospitalisations had a significant effect on regional hospitals and the health system in general.
“Hospital care is becoming more expensive and because of our location, people often need to go outside the region to go to hospital,” she said.
“Hospital services can also be scarce, and if more people are hospitalised, it puts more pressure on beds, meaning people have to wait in the emergency department for longer.”
The Grampians region had the second-lowest rate of hospitalisations relating to vaccine-preventable diseases in Victoria, with 71 cases per 100,000 in 2015-16.
The lowest was Maryborough with 70 cases.
Dr Opie said the region had higher than average vaccination rates, which was positive.
“It’s an area where we are doing well,” she said.
Dr Opie said high costs and access to services were the biggest issues facing the regional health system.
“The more rural people are, the more likely these factors will be an issue,” she said.
“We need more affordable healthcare in our communities.”