Characteristics of home care package recipients, by level of home care package, in 2016
| Total HCP cohort n=102 590 episodes, n (%) | HCP level 1–2 n=68 598 episodes, n (%) | HCP level 3–4 n=33 992 episodes, n (%) | |
| Sex, female n (%) | 67 095 (65.4) | 45 621 (66.5) | 21 474 (63.2) |
| Age, median (IQR) | 83 (77–88) | 83 (77–88) | 83 (77–88) |
| Age group years, n (%) | |||
| <70 | 7472 (7.3) | 4810 (7.0) | 2662 (7.8) |
| 70–79 | 27 139 (26.5) | 17 835 (26.0) | 9304 (27.4) |
| 80–89 | 49 288 (48.0) | 33 823 (49.3) | 15 465 (45.5) |
| ≥90 | 18 691 (18.2) | 12 130 (17.7) | 6561 (19.3) |
| Born in Australia | 64 117 (62.5) | 43 364 (63.2) | 20 753 (61.1) |
| State‡, n (%) | |||
| New South Wales | 34 449 (33.6) | 23 843 (34.8) | 10 606 (31.2) |
| Victoria | 24 694 (24.1) | 17 583 (25.6) | 7111 (20.9) |
| Queensland | 18 054 (17.6) | 12 154 (17.7) | 5900 (17.4) |
| South Australia | 8478 (8.3) | 5814 (8.5) | 2664 (7.8) |
| Western Australia | 10 092 (9.8) | 4675 (6.8) | 5417 (15.9) |
| Tasmania | 2598 (2.5) | 1854 (2.7) | 744 (2.2) |
| Australian Capital Territory | 1679 (1.6) | 877 (1.3) | 802 (2.4) |
| Northern Territory | 630 (0.6) | 392 (0.6) | 238 (0.7) |
| SEIFA RSAD quintile‡ | |||
| 1 (least advantaged) | 19 027 (18.3) | 13 172 (19.0) | 5855 (16.9) |
| 2 | 18 678 (18.0) | 12 478 (18.0) | 6200 (17.9) |
| 3 | 19 048 (18.4) | 12 527 (18.1) | 6521 (18.9) |
| 4 | 18 705 (18.0) | 12 444 (18.0) | 6261 (18.1) |
| 5 (most advantaged) | 25 426 (24.5) | 16 563 (24.0) | 8863 (25.6) |
| Remoteness‡, n (%) | |||
| Major cities | 63 336 (61.7) | 42 031 (61.3) | 21 305 (62.7) |
| Inner regional | 22 808 (22.2) | 15 349 (22.4) | 7459 (21.9) |
| Outer regional | 11 848 (11.5) | 8010 (11.7) | 3838 (11.3) |
| Remote/very remote | 1784 (1.7) | 1266 (1.8) | 518 (1.5) |
| Deceased during HCP episode, n (%) | 5766 (5.6) | 2936 (4.3) | 2830 (8.3) |
| Number of medications*, median (IQR) | 9 (6–13) | 9 (6–13) | 9 (6–13) |
| Number of health conditions, median (IQR) | 5 (3–7) | 5 (3–7) | 5 (3–7) |
| Specific chronic conditions†, N (%) | |||
| History of cancer | 16 430 (16.0) | 10 779 (15.7) | 5651 (16.6) |
| Pain | 33 303 (32.5) | 21 651 (31.6) | 11 652 (34.3) |
| Chronic respiratory disease | 25 137 (24.5) | 17 051 (24.9) | 8086 (23.8) |
| Congestive heart failure | 20 059 (19.6) | 13 143 (19.2) | 6916 (20.3) |
| Dementia | 20 102 (19.6) | 10 803 (15.7) | 9299 (27.4) |
| Depression | 38 461 (37.5) | 24 602 (35.9) | 13 859 (40.8) |
| Diabetes | 21 137 (20.6) | 13 838 (20.2) | 7299 (21.5) |
| IHD/hypertension | 44 720 (43.6) | 30 930 (45.1) | 13 790 (40.6) |
| Osteoporosis | 19 506 (19.0) | 13 221 (19.3) | 6285 (18.5) |
*Number medications determined in the 6 months prior.
†Chronic conditions ascertained from Rx-Risk-V comorbidity index in 6 months prior to HCP episode apart from dementia and cancer that used Rx-Risk-V and ACAP.
‡Missing data from state variable: n=1916 (1.9%), SEIFA RSAD: n=2865 (2.8%) and remoteness: n=2814 (2.7%).
HCP, home care package; IHD, ischaemic heart disease; NSW, New South Wales; QLD, Queensland; RSAD, relative socioeconomic advantage and disadvantage; SA, South Australia; SEIFA, socioeconomic indexes for area.