| Name | Description | Data sources | Responsible organisation(s) | Measure methodology last updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| People dispensed a strong opioid who had a public hospital event in the 8 days prior to dispensing, rate per 1,000 | This indicator shows the number and rate per 1,000 of the PHO-enrolled population who had received a strong opioid and had a public hospital event in the eight days prior to dispensing of a strong opioid during the calendar year. Data is presented by year (2019 to 2023), ethnic group, age, gender and health district. |
National Minimum Dataset (NMDS), National Non-Admitted Patient Collection (NNPAC), Pharmaceutical Collection (PHARMS), PHO Enrolment Collection | Health Quality & Safety Commission | Te Tāhū Hauora | November 2025 |
| Acute hospital bed-day rate | This measure provides details on the number of days spent in hospital for unplanned care including emergencies per 1,000. It is a measure of acute demand on secondary care. A reduction in acute demand can be an indication of effective partnership with primary and community care sectors, good hospital care and discharge planning, and/or appropriate integration of services and transitions between sectors. | National Minimum Dataset (NMDS), Programme for the Integration of Mental Health Data (PRIMHD), Ministry of Health, National Population Projection - Stats NZ | Health Quality & Safety Commission | Te Tāhū Hauora | |
| Access to planned care | This measure details the rate of people who had surgery or care that was planned in advance, as a percentage of the agreed number of events in the delivery plan. Note that values greater than 100% are possible when interventions delivered exceed the agreed number from the plan. Timely access to planned care is important for the health, wellbeing and quality of life of New Zealanders and is seen as a marker of the quality of the public hospital system. | National Minimum Dataset (NMDS), National Non-Admitted Patient Collection (NNPAC), Planned Care Funding Schedule (PCFS), Ministry of Health | Health Quality & Safety Commission | Te Tāhū Hauora | |
| Gout prevalence | This measure details the prevalence of identified gout in those enrolled with primary health organisations. Rates of gout are particularly high in Māori and Pacific males, meaning districts with a high Māori and/or Pacific population have higher prevalence. | National Minimum Dataset (NMDS), Pharmaceutical Collection (PHARMS), Primary Health Organisation Enrolment Collection, Mortality Collection, NZ Cancer Registry, Ministry of Health, National Population Projection - Stats NZ | Health Quality & Safety Commission | Te Tāhū Hauora | |
| Regularly dispensed a urate-lowering therapy | This measure shows the percentage of people with identified gout who received urate-lowering therapy regularly. Long-term urate-lowering therapy is used to prevent gout flares and prevent tophus formation, bony erosions and permanent disability in people with gout. Many studies have demonstrated underutilisation of urate-lowering therapy. | National Minimum Dataset (NMDS), Pharmaceutical Collection (PHARMS), PHO Enrolment Collection, Mortality Collection, NZ Cancer Registry, Ministry of Health, National Population Projection - Stats NZ | Health Quality & Safety Commission | Te Tāhū Hauora | |
| Serum urate test within six months of urate-lowering therapy | This measure shows the percentage of people who had serum urate testing in the six months following urate-lowering therapy dispensing. Best practice guidelines recommend that people with gout who are prescribed urate-lowering therapy should have their serum urate level monitored at least every six months. Long-term urate-lowering therapy is not recommended for people with asymptomatic hyperuricaemia. | National Minimum Dataset (NMDS), Pharmaceutical Collection (PHARMS), PHO Enrolment Collection, Mortality Collection, NZ Cancer Registry, Ministry of Health, National Population Projection - Stats NZ | Health Quality & Safety Commission | Te Tāhū Hauora | |
| Ambulatory sensitive hospitalisations for adults (age range 45–64 years) | This measure details the rate of hospital admissions for people aged 45–64 years for an illness that might have been prevented or better managed in the community. Ambulatory sensitive hospitalisations are mostly acute admissions that are considered potentially reducible through prophylactic or therapeutic interventions deliverable in a primary care setting. | National Minimum Dataset (NMDS), Ministry of Health, Estimated Resident Population Projections, Stats NZ | Health Quality & Safety Commission | Te Tāhū Hauora | |
| Dispensed prednisone, colchicine or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug without urate-lowering therapy | This measure shows the percentage of people with identified gout who were dispensed any of colchicine, prednisone or funded non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but not dispensed urate-lowering therapy in a year. Acute gout flares are treated with colchicine, oral corticosteroids such as prednisone or NSAIDs. This measure may reflect people experiencing acute gout flares who are not on long-term preventive therapy for gout. Gout management guidelines state that people experiencing frequent (two or more) acute gout flares per year should be offered long-term urate-lowering therapy. Although NSAIDs are effective at treating acute gout flares, these medicines have considerable side effects including kidney injury and peptic ulcer disease. | National Minimum Dataset (NMDS), Pharmaceutical Collection (PHARMS), PHO Enrolment Collection, Mortality Collection, NZ Cancer Registry, Ministry of Health, National Population Projection - Stats NZ | Health Quality & Safety Commission | Te Tāhū Hauora | |
| Dispensed prednisone, colchicine or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug | This measure shows the percentage of people with identified gout who were dispensed any of colchicine, prednisone or funded non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in a year. Acute gout flares are treated with colchicine, oral corticosteroids such as prednisone or NSAIDs. Gout management guidelines state that people experiencing frequent (two or more) acute gout flares per year should be offered long-term urate-lowering therapy. Although NSAIDs are effective at treating acute gout flares, these medicines have considerable side effects including kidney injury and peptic ulcer disease. | National Minimum Dataset (NMDS), Pharmaceutical Collection (PHARMS), PHO Enrolment Collection, Mortality Collection, NZ Cancer Registry, Ministry of Health, National Population Projection - Stats NZ | Health Quality & Safety Commission | Te Tāhū Hauora | |
| Dispensed a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug without urate-lowering therapy | This measure shows the percentage of people with identified gout who were dispensed funded non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) but not dispensed urate-lowering therapy. While it is not known whether it was gout that led to an NSAID being dispensed, high rates of NSAID dispensing without urate-lowering therapy use may reflect people using NSAIDs to manage their acute gout flares. International best practice indicates that people experiencing frequent gout flares (two or more per year) should be offered long-term urate-lowering therapy. Large variation may reflect patient preference and/or variable clinical practice. | National Minimum Dataset (NMDS), Pharmaceutical Collection (PHARMS), PHO Enrolment Collection, Mortality Collection, NZ Cancer Registry, Ministry of Health, National Population Projection - Stats NZ | Health Quality & Safety Commission | Te Tāhū Hauora |