Data sources

A range of data sources are used to provide an overview of palliative care services in Australia including, but not limited to, those listed in the following table.

Table: Data sources used to provide an overview of palliative care services in Australia
Data sourcesSection
Hospitals – Admitted patient palliative care
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)/ Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Data (RBPS)Palliative care-related medications
Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) data collectionMedicare-subsidised palliative medicine attendance and case conference services
Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) palliative care outcomes collectionPalliative care outcomes
National aged care data clearinghousePalliative care for people living in residential aged care
National Health Workforce Data Set (NHWDS)Palliative care workforce
Expenditure on palliative care

More information about the use of these data sources is contained within Technical information of the Palliative care services in Australia report.