FAQ

NOTE: For more information about using Health Statistics NSW, please go to: Using This Report

1. What is the rationale behind NSW Health providing access to health data?

The NSW Ministry of Health has released summary information on the health of the people of New South Wales since 1996 through the Report of the Chief Health Officer. This is in keeping with one of the goals of the NSW health system – to “keep people healthy”. Providing information on the main causes of poor health and reduced life expectancy can inform and assist members of the public to take action to improve their own health and can help those responsible for providing health services to better target their services to areas of need and to evaluate the success of their services.

The NSW Ministry of Health is also obliged to provide information to the public under The Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act). A description of the rights of the public to information under this Act can be found at http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/gipaa/index.asp.

2. What should I do if my search does not provide the results I need?

Each type of search in Health Statistics NSW works differently and may deliver slightly different results. If your first search does not produce the required results, you are encouraged to try other search types. For instance, if you have tried searching via one of the ‘Search Options’ (for example, ‘Health Inequalities’) and have not found what you want, try using ‘View Topics A-Z’ or ‘Quick Search’.

If you still can’t find the data you want, it may be that the data are not yet available or have not been considered for inclusion in Health Statistics NSW (see question 3 below).

3. What should I do if Health Statistics NSW does not have the data I need?

In the first instance, send an email to: Health.StatisticsNSW@doh.health.nsw.gov.au to ask whether the data you require could be included in Health Statistics NSW. You will be advised as to whether this is possible and, if so, when this might occur.

Please note: preparing and uploading a new indicator or adding extra data to an existing indicator takes time and thus new data will not be available immediately upon request.

Note also that regular updates will occur to add new indicators and to update data on existing indicators. Over time, updates will occur quarterly. A New and Updated section on the website alerts users to new information as it is posted.

It may be that the data you want are available in another report. Other data reports can be found on the NSW Ministry of Health website at http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/reports/index.asp.

4. How do I get more detailed information than that provided through Health Statistics NSW?

Health Statistics NSW provides access to data at a specific level of detail. Data provided in downloadable spreadsheets reflects the data provided in the ‘Data Tables’ (accessed via the ‘Data table’ tab from the ‘indicator view’), i.e. there is no option to ‘drill down’ further via the spreadsheets.

If you need more detailed data either go to the Health Outcomes Information Statistical Toolkit (HOIST – only available to NSW Health staff) or submit a special request for data as outlined in the description of the rights of the public to information at http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/gipaa/index.asp.

5. Can I analyse data in Health Statistics NSW?

Health Statistics NSW is not a data analysis tool. If you want to analyse the data that are available through Health Statistics NSW, download the relevant data as an ‘Advanced data table in spreadsheet format’ and analyse it using your own analysis software.

6. Can I use Health Statistics NSW as a performance monitoring tool?

While data included in Health Statistics NSW can be used for preparing performance reports on aspects of the NSW health system, the application does not provide data against performance targets which are set for the NSW health system. Performance monitoring data for hospitals and other parts of the NSW health system can be found in the Annual Report of the NSW Ministry of Health, the NSW State Plan or from the website at http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/reports/index.asp.

For other performance monitoring data, go to the Bureau of Health Information website www.bhi.nsw.gov.au/ or the ‘My Hospitals’ website http://www.myhospitals.gov.au/.

7. How do I view an indicator without losing my list of search results?

To avoid losing your list of search results while you browse through several indicators on the list, each time you open an indicator ‘Right click’ on the ‘View Indicator online’ icon (or the indicator title) and select ‘Open in New Window’. Note: the icon is not available if you have used the ‘View Topics A-Z’ search method.

8. How do I interpret the graphs in Health Statistics NSW?

Age-specific rates and numbers of events

The figure below shows total deaths in NSW from 2003 to 2007 by age-group and Aboriginality. That is, age-specific rates and numbers of deaths from all causes for Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal people during this period. In this figure it is apparent that total death rates tend to increase with age for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, with the exception of infants and young children. This figure does not provide an indication of the causes of death.

Point estimates and 95% confidence intervals

The figure below demonstrates the method used for graphical presentation of point estimates and associated 95% confidence intervals. It shows age-standardised cardiovascular disease deaths for 2006-2007 for each NSW Local Health District and for NSW as a whole. The point estimates of standardised rates are indicated by horizontal bars, and the 95% confidence intervals by horizontal lines. Point estimates of standardised rates are also listed beside the graph.

9. Can I modify the graphs produced in Health Statistics NSW?

The graphs available through Health Statistics NSW cannot be altered. If you want to prepare a different type of graph based on Health Statistics NSW data, download the relevant data as a ‘Simple data table in spreadsheet format’ and create a new graph using your own software, for example, Microsoft Excel.

10. How do I print data tables from Health Statistics NSW?

To print data tables from Health Statistics NSW, you first need to download the data table in spreadsheet format (i.e. you can’t print directly from the data table obtained by clicking on the ‘Data table’ tab from the ‘indicator view’).

For instructions on downloading data tables in spreadsheet format, see ‘Using This Report’: How do I download raw data?

11. Will Health Statistics NSW work with my web browser?

Health Statistics NSW was designed for web browsers released in the few years prior to 2011 and has been tested on Internet Explorer 8/9, Firefox 3/4, Chrome and Safari. There are known incompatibilities with Internet Explorer 7 but most of these should be resolved over time. Health Statistics NSW mostly works with Internet Explorer 6, but there are significant screen layout issues that will compromise the user’s experience.