New South Wales
There were 19,452 hospitalisations with a drug-related principal diagnosis in New South Wales in 2019-20, equivalent to 0.64% of all hospitalisations in New South Wales.
This is equivalent to 247 hospitalisations per 100,000 people, which was similar the rate in 2018-19 (250 hospitalisations per 100,000 people; p=0.056) (Table 1) but an increase from 1999-00 (223 hospitalisations per 100,000 people) (Figure 1).
Sex
The rate of hospitalisations was higher among males than females in 2019-20 (287 versus 207 hospitalisations per 100,000 people).
Age
In 2019-20, the rate of hospitalisations was highest among the 20-29 age group, followed by the 30-39 and 40-49 age groups (469, 424, and 364 hospitalisations per 100,000 people, respectively).
Remoteness Area of Usual Residence
The highest rate of hospitalisations in 2019-20 was observed in remote and very remote New South Wales (384 hospitalisations per 100,000 people), while the number of hospitalisations was highest in major cities (14,944 hospitalisations) (Figure 2).
External Cause of Drug Poisoning
In 2019-20, 36% of drug-related hospitalisations in New South Wales were due to drug poisoning. Furthermore, 67% of drug poisoning related hospitalisations were intentional (60 hospitalisations per 100,000 people) and 23% were unintentional (20 hospitalisations per 100,000 people) (Figure 3).
Drug Type
In 2019-20, the rate of hospitalisations was highest where there was a principal diagnosis indicating amphetamines and other stimulants (65 hospitalisations per 100,000 people) (Figure 4).Compared to 2018-19, there were significant decreases in 2019-20 in the rates of hospitalisations related to opioids; and multiple drug use (p<0.050) (Table 1).
In contrast, there were significant increases in the rates of hospitalisations related to amphetamines and other stimulants; antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic and antiparkinsonism drugs; cannabinoids; cocaine; and hallucinogens (p<0.050) (Table 1).
Figure 1. Age-standardised rate per 100,000 people of drug-related hospitalisations, by sex, New South Wales, 1999-00 to 2019-20.
Figure 2. Age-standardised rate per 100,000 people of drug-related hospitalisations, by remoteness, New South Wales, 2012-13 to 2019-20.
Note: The size (area) of the bubble is proportional to the number of hospitalisations. Data by remoteness are only available from 2012-13.
Figure 3. Age-standardised rate per 100,000 people of drug-related hospitalisations, by principal diagnosis of mental and behavioural disorder due to substance use (A) and external cause of poisoning (B), New South Wales, 1999-00 to 2019-20.
Note: Age-standardised rates were not calculated if the number of hospitalisations was less than or equal to 10 (please refer to our methods document for details). Suppressed data are visible as gaps in the data series.
Figure 4. Age-standardised rate per 100,000 people of drug-related hospitalisations, by drug identified in the principal diagnosis, New South Wales, 1999-00 to 2019-20.
Table 1. Age-standardised rate per 100,000 people of drug-related hospitalisations in 2019-20 and rate ratio and p-value for difference compared to 2018-19, in New South Wales by drug type identified in the principal diagnosis
|
|
Age-standardised rate (95% CI) | 2019-20 versus 2018-19 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug | 2019-20 | 2018-19 | Rate ratio | P-value |
| All drugs | 247 (244,251) | 250 (247,254) | 0.99 (0.98,1.00) | 0.056 |
| Amphetamines and other stimulants | 65 (63,67) | 61 (59,63) | 1.07 (1.04,1.09) | <0.001 |
| Antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic and antiparkinsonism drugs | 35 (33,36) | 32 (31,33) | 1.08 (1.05,1.12) | <0.001 |
| Opioids | 33 (31,34) | 38 (36,39) | 0.86 (0.83,0.89) | <0.001 |
| Cannabinoids | 29 (28,31) | 28 (27,29) | 1.06 (1.02,1.10) | 0.002 |
| Multiple drug use | 28 (26,29) | 33 (32,35) | 0.82 (0.79,0.85) | <0.001 |
| Non-opioid analgesics | 20 (19,21) | 20 (19,21) | 0.98 (0.93,1.02) | 0.302 |
| Antipsychotics and neuroleptics | 13 (12,14) | 14 (13,15) | 0.96 (0.91,1.01) | 0.138 |
| Antidepressants | 11 (10,12) | 11 (11,12) | 0.96 (0.90,1.02) | 0.167 |
| Cocaine | 10 (10,11) | 9.5 ( 8.8, 10.2) | 1.10 (1.03,1.17) | 0.004 |
| Volatile solvents | 2.3 ( 2.0, 2.6) | 2.3 ( 2.0, 2.7) | 0.98 (0.86,1.12) | 0.774 |
| Hallucinogens | 1.3 ( 1.0, 1.6) | 0.9 ( 0.7, 1.2) | 1.36 (1.13,1.65) | 0.001 |
Funding
The Drug Trends program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health under the Drug and Alcohol Program.
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare for data from the National Hospital Morbidity Database.
Recommended citation
Chrzanowska, A., Man, N., Sutherland, R., Degenhardt, L. & Peacock, A. (2021). Trends in drug-related hospitalisations in Australia, 1999-2020. Sydney: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney.
Related Links
Hospitalisations data visualisations: https://drugtrends.shinyapps.io/hospital_separations
Hospitalisations methods document: https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/resource-analytics/trends-drug-related-hospitalisations-australia-1999-2020
For other Drug Trends publications on drug-related hospitalisations and drug-induced deaths, go to: https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/project/national-illicit-drug-indicators-project-nidip
For more information on NDARC research, go to: http://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/
For more information about the AIHW and NHMD, go to: https://www.aihw.gov.au/
For more information on ICD coding go to: http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/en/ https://www.ihpa.gov.au/what-we-do/icd-10-am-achi-acs-current-edition
For more research from the Drug Trends program go to: https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/program/drug-trends
Contact us
Email: drugtrends@unsw.edu.au