Surgery and risk in Aotearoa New Zealand | Te pōkanga me te tūponotanga i Aotearoa
The surgery and risk infographic shows how safe surgeries are in Aotearoa New Zealand and makes surgical mortality data accessible and available to the New Zealand public. It summarises information about surgeries completed in 2023 and the deaths that occurred from all causes up to 30 days after the surgery. It covers elective surgery (planned in advance) and emergency surgery. Health care professionals can use the infographic to reassure patients about the safety of their upcoming surgery.
This infographic examining the safety of surgery in Aotearoa New Zealand has been updated by the National Mortality Review Management Group, Te Tāhū Hauora Health Quality & Safety Commission Health Quality Intelligence team, and Perioperative Mortality subject matter experts group.
Is it safe to have surgery in Aotearoa New Zealand?
There are benefits and risks to every surgery. Our data confirms that surgery in Aotearoa New Zealand is as safe as surgery in countries like Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Elective surgery is more common and safer than emergency surgery. Emergency surgery is often undertaken to save someone’s life.
What is inequity?
As a first step in trying to make things fairer, it is important to measure the size of the differences in health and health care outcomes. ‘Inequity’ is when there are unfair and avoidable differences in health care services and outcomes (like deaths after surgery) between different groups of people.
Why is there inequity between Māori, Pacific peoples and Pākehā?
The reasons for these inequities are varied. Our health care system works better for our majority European population and does not work as well for Māori and Pacific peoples, resulting in poorer access to GPs and hospitals, and inequitable health outcomes.
Questions and Answers
What’s the purpose of the infographic?
The infographic shows how safe surgeries are in Aotearoa New Zealand and makes surgical data accessible and available to the public. The infographic provides a high-level summary of surgeries and the people who have them.
How is the infographic useful?
If you are a doctor or health care professional, the infographic provides information to reassure patients about the safety of an upcoming surgery. If you or your whānau are having surgery, you can see how safe it is. The infographic also includes resources for more information on the last page.
Why don’t some of the percentages and the average number of people who died within 30 days match?
The percentages are rounded for presentation purposes, but the unrounded percentages are used to calculate the average number of deaths. The number of deaths is also rounded to the nearest whole number.
For example:
|
Surgery |
Average number of surgeries per year |
Rounded mortality rate on infographic |
Unrounded mortality rate |
Average number of deaths per year |
|
Ophthalmic (eye) surgery |
18,678 |
0.1 % |
0.134921% |
25 |
What should I do if I think I need surgery, or if I am concerned about my upcoming surgery?
If you are unwell, talk to your doctor or health care professional early. There are benefits and risks to every surgery; your doctor or health care professional will help you decide if surgery is right for you.
What can I do to increase my chances of having a safer surgery?
The infographic provides links to useful resources on the last page.
For health care professionals
What’s the purpose of the infographic?
The infographic shows how safe surgeries are in Aotearoa New Zealand and makes surgical data accessible and available to the public. The infographic provides a high-level summary of surgeries and the people who have them.
How is the infographic useful?
If you are a doctor or health care professional, the infographic provides information to reassure patients about the safety of an upcoming surgery. If you or your whānau are having surgery, you can see how safe it is. The infographic also includes resources for more information on the last page.
Why don’t some of the percentages and the average number of people who died within 30 days match?
The percentages are rounded for presentation purposes, but the unrounded percentages are used to calculate the average number of deaths. The number of deaths is also rounded to the nearest whole number.
For example:
|
Surgery |
Average number of surgeries per year |
Rounded mortality rate on infographic |
Unrounded mortality rate |
Average number of deaths per year |
|
Ophthalmic (eye) surgery |
18,678 |
0.1 % |
0.134921% |
25 |
For patients
What should I do if I think I need surgery, or if I am concerned about my upcoming surgery?
If you are unwell, talk to your doctor or health care professional early. There are benefits and risks to every surgery; your doctor or health care professional will help you decide if surgery is right for you.
What can I do to increase my chances of having a safer surgery?
The infographic provides links to useful resources on the last page.
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