4329.0 - Characteristics of people using mental health services and prescription medication, 2011  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 28/10/2014  First Issue
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GLOSSARY


Apart from the concepts relating to variables originating from the MBS and PBS and data integration, all other terms and definitions relate to Census variables. Explanations have been provided below, however, the Census Dictionary can be referred to if more detail is required. For more information on MBS and PBS definitions see www.health.gov.au/mbsonline and http://www.pbs.gov.au/pbs/home and http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/about/stats/ .

Administrative data

Information that is collected for purposes other than that of a statistical nature. This type of information is often obtained from records or transactional data from government agencies, businesses or non-profit organisations which use the information for the administration of programs, policies or services.

ATC Code

The code allocated by the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology. ATC Name In the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system, the drugs are divided into different groups according to the organ or system on which they act and their chemical, pharmacological and therapeutic properties. For more information see (www.whocc.no/atcddd/).

Data Integration

Statistical data integration involves combining information from different administrative and/or statistical sources to provide new datasets for statistical and research purposes. Further information on data integration is available on the National Statistical Service website – Data Integration.

Data Linkage

Data linking is a key part of statistical data integration and involves the technical process of combining records from different source datasets using variables that are shared between the sources. Data linkage is typically performed on records that represent individual persons, rather than aggregates. Two common methods used to link records are deterministic and probabilistic linkage. Deterministic linkage links person-records on exact matches using a unique identifier (such as a social security number or a created unique identifier such as a linkage key). Probabilistic linkage links person-records on close matches based on the relative likelihood that two records refer to the same person, using a number of linking variables (such as date of birth, sex, geographic area).

Date of service

The date on which the provider performed the service.

Date of supply

This is the date on which the PBS item was supplied.

De-identified data/records

Data that have had any identifiers removed. May also be referred to as unidentified data. The Census, MBS and PBS records used by the ABS for this project were de-identified and did not include person name, address or Medicare number.

Item Category

The Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) comprises a hierarchical structure of Categories, Groups, Subgroups and Items numbers, to group similar professional services together.

Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)

The Department of Human Services collects data on the activity of all persons making claims through the Medicare Benefits Scheme and provides this information to the Department of Health. Information collected includes the type of service provided (MBS item number) and the benefit paid by Medicare for the service. The item numbers and benefits paid by Medicare are based on the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) which is a listing of the Medicare services subsidised by the Australian Government.

Medicare Item Number

A number that identifies the service provided by the provider as per the Medicare Benefits Schedule.

Mental health-related medications

Mental health-related medications included in this publication were from 5 selected medication groups as classified in the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification System (WHO 2011), namely antipsychotics (code N05A), anxiolytics (code N05B), hypnotics and sedatives (code N05C), antidepressants (code N06A), and psychostimulants and nootropics (code N06B)—prescribed by all medical practitioners (that is, general practitioners (GPs), non-psychiatrist specialists and psychiatrists) (See Appendix B).

Mental health-related services

Mental health-related services include services provided by psychiatrists, general practitioners (GPs), psychologists and other allied health professionals—mental health nurses, occupational therapists, social workers and Aboriginal health workers. These services are defined in the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and are provided in a range of settings, for example in hospital, consulting rooms, home visits, and over the phone (See Appendix A).

Mesh block

Mesh Blocks are the smallest geographic region in the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) and form the basis for the larger regions of the ASGS. There are approximately 347,000 Mesh Blocks covering the whole of Australia without gaps or overlaps. They broadly identify land use such as residential, commercial, agricultural and parks etc.

Mesh Blocks are the building blocks for all the larger regions of the ASGS. As Mesh Blocks are very small they can be combined together to accurately approximate a large range of other statistical regions.

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)

The Department of Human Services provides data on prescriptions funded through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to the Department of Health. The PBS lists all of the medicines available to be dispensed to patients at a Government-subsidised price. The Government is advised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) regarding which drugs should be listed on the PBS Scheme.

PBS Item Code

Number which indicates item prescribed as per Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits.

Remoteness Area (RA)

Within the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS), the Remoteness structure comprises six categories, each of which identifies a non-contiguous region in Australia, being a grouping of Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1s) sharing a particular degree of remoteness. The degrees of remoteness range from 'Major Cities' (highly accessible) to 'Very Remote'.

The degree of remoteness of each SA1 was determined using the Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA). SA1s have then been grouped into the appropriate category of Remoteness to form non-contiguous areas within each state.

Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA)

Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) is a product developed by the ABS that ranks areas in Australia according to relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage. The indexes are based on information from the five-yearly Census. SEIFA 2011 is based on Census 2011 data, and consists of four indexes, each focussing on a different aspect of socio-economic advantage and disadvantage and being a summary of a different subset of Census variables. The Index used in this publication is the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (IRSD).

Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1)

The Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1) is the second smallest geographic area defined in the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS), the smallest being the Mesh Block. The SA1 has been designed for use in the Census of Population and Housing as the smallest unit for the processing and release of Census data.