Palliative care-related medications
This chapter provides information related to palliative care-related prescriptions from Palliative Care Schedule under Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) and the characteristics of the people who received them over the period 2016–17 to 2022–23. Further information about how these prescriptions are identified through the PBS and RPBS is provided in Technical information: Data sources – May release.
The information in this chapter was last updated in May 2024.
Key points
In 2022–23:
- there were 1.3 million palliative care-related prescriptions provided to 454,000 people, equating to 2.9 prescriptions per person
- those aged 65 and over accounted for over half (56%) of people who were dispensed with palliative care-related prescriptions
- 8 in 10 (78% or 1.0 million) palliative care-related prescriptions were for pain relief
- general practitioners prescribed 90% of palliative care-related prescriptions, with the vast majority (80%) for pain relief.
Between 2016–17 and 2022–23, the number of palliative care-related prescriptions increased by 47% (908,000 to 1.3 million). Meanwhile, the number of people dispensed with palliative care-related prescriptions declined by 8.2% (495,000 to 454,000), leading to an increase in the number of prescriptions per person from 1.8 to 2.9 over this period.
| Key concept | Description |
|---|---|
Palliative care-related prescriptions | Palliative care-related prescriptions are defined as medications listed in Palliative Care Schedule under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS). Information on prescription medicines has been sourced from the processing of the PBS and RPBS. It refers to medications prescribed by approved prescribers and subsequently dispensed by approved suppliers (community pharmacies or eligible hospital pharmacies). Consequently, it is a count of medications dispensed, rather than a count of prescriptions written by clinicians. |
Patient co-payment | Under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS), the cost of prescription medicines is subsidised by the Commonwealth government. Patients are classified as either general or concessional and are required to pay a patient co-payment towards the cost of their prescription, according to their entitlement. As of 1 January 2023, the co-payment was $30.00 (general) and $7.30 (concessional, including repatriation). |
Subsidised prescription | A Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) prescription is subsidised when the dispensed price of a medication exceeds the patient co-payment. The PBS and RPBS covers the difference between the full cost of the medication and the patient co-payment. |
Under co-payment prescription | A prescription priced below the co-payment as defined in the National Health Act 1953. A Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) prescription is classified as under co-payment when the dispensed price of the prescription does not exceed the patient co-payment, and the patient pays the full cost of the medication. |