Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency - What data are already available and who should I ask?
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What data are already available and who should I ask?

We want you to find the data and information you are looking for quickly and easily. Before you make a data access request, check to see if the data you are looking for is already published and available.

Our published data

We make a range of data and information about registered health practitioners and about how we work publicly available, including:

The Register of practitioners

The national Register of practitioners provides up to date information on practitioners who are registered to practise. This is publicly available with limited search capability and copies or extracts of the register can be requested.

Please note that the Register of practitioners:

Copies of each register are charged at a fee of $2000 for each copy. This fee may be waived for Commonwealth, state and territory agencies/entities and registration authorities. Please email our Practitioner information exchange (PIE) on dataexchange@ahpra.gov.au if you wish to purchase an extract of the Register of practitioners.

Practitioner information exchange for healthcare organisations

In addition to the Register of practitioners, Ahpra offers a service which provides approved healthcare organisations and employers with regular updates on the registration status of their health practitioners. Please see the Practitioner Information Exchange section on our website if you would like further information on this service, including the licensing structure and requirements to become a data partner.

Health workforce data

If you are interested in data about the health practitioner workforce, Ahpra and the National Boards in conjunction with the Australian Government Department of Health, collect information required for workforce planning through the registration renewal process.

The Department of Health make this data available through an online data tool. Accessing this tool is straightforward and provides information on a range of registration and workforce data, such as demographics, specialties, hours worked, scope of practice and area of practice. For further information on, or access to, the workforce survey data, please go to the Department of Health’s website Health Workforce Data page.

Published research

When our data and information are used for research purposes, they are often published as research outcomes in academic journals and publications. Below is a list of published research where other researchers have used Ahpra and National Board data and where Ahpra has carried out its own research. Where publications can be accessed freely by the public, links to these external websites have been provided.

  • Biggar, S., Fletcher, M. Van Der Gaag, A. & Austin Z. (2022) ‘Finding space for kindness: public protection and health professional regulation’ International Journal of Quality in Health Care, 34(3) pp. 1-2.
  • Orchard, J. (2022) ‘Acting Immediately – A Review of Recent Court and Tribunal Decisions Reviewing the Use of the Immediate Action Power under the National Law’ Journal of Law and Medicine, 29(4) pp. 1109-27.
  • Main, P. and Anderson, S. (2022) ‘Evidence for Continuing Professional Development and Recency of Practice Standards for Regulated Health Professionals in Australia: Protocol for a Systematic Review’ JMR Research Protocols, 11(4) [online]
  • Gee, C.,Tonkin, A., Gaby, S. and others. (2021) ‘Responding to Sexual Boundary Notifications: The Evolving Regulatory Approach in Australia’ Journal of Medical Regulation, 107(2) pp. 25-31.
  • Duffy, J.F., Douglass, A.G., Hammond, D.S. & Woods, C.A. (2020) ‘Demographics and distribution of new entrants to the optometry profession in Australia’ Clinical and Experimental Optometry, [on-line first]

  • Biggar, S, Lobigs, L.M. and Fletcher, M (2020) ‘How Can We Make Health Regulation More Humane? A Quality Improvement Approach to Understanding Complainant and Practitioner Experiences’ Journal of Medical Regulation, 106(1) pp. 7-15.
  • Veness, BG, Tibble, T, Grenyer, BFS, Morris, JM, Spittal, MJ, Nash, L, Studdert, DM and Bismark, MM (2019) ‘Complaint risk among mental health practitioners compared with physical health practitioners: a retrospective cohort study of complaints to health regulators in Australia’ BMJ Open
     
  • Spittal, MJ, Bismark, MM and Studdert, DM (2019) ‘Identification of practitioners at high risk of complaints to health profession regulators’ BMC Health Services Research [on-line first]
  • Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (2018) ‘Contributing to risk-based Chinese medicine regulation in Australia ’ Read the report.
  • Bennett,B, Carney,T, Chiarella, M and others (2018) ‘Australia's National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for Health Practitioners: A National Approach to Polycentric Regulation?’ Sydney Law Review 40(2).
  • Bismark, M, Tibble, H, Moore, J, and others (2018) 'Eyes and Ears on Patient Safety: Sources of Notifications About the Health, Performance, and Conduct of Health Practitioners' Journal of Patient Safety [Epub ahead of print].
  • Chiarella, M, Satchell, C, Nagy, M, and others (2018) ‘Survey of quasi-judicial decision makers in NSW and the national registration scheme for health practitioners’, Journal of Law and Medicine 25(2), 357-79.
  • Professional Standards Authority (2018) ‘Right-touch regulation in practice. International Perspectives.’ Read the report.
  • Ryan, A, Too, LS, and Bismark, M (2018) ‘Complaints about chiropractors, osteopaths, and physiotherapists: a retrospective cohort study of health, performance, and conduct concerns’, Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 26:12.
  • Thomas, LA, Milligan, E, Tibble HM and others (2018) ‘Health, performance and conduct concerns among older doctors: A retrospective cohort study of notifications received by medical regulators in Australia’, Journal of Patient Safety and Risk Management 23(2), 54-62.
  • Thomas, LA, Tibble, HM, Too, LS and others (2018) 'Complaints about dental practitioners: an analysis of 6 years of complaints about dentists, dental prosthetists, oral health therapists, dental therapists and dental hygienists in Australia' Australian Dental Journal [Epub ahead of print].
  • Satchell, CS, Walton, M, Kelly, PJ, and others (2016) ‘Approaches to management of complaints and notifications about health practitioners in Australia’, Australian Health Review 40(3), 311-318.

  • Bismark, MM, Spittal, MJ, Morris, JM, and others (2016) ‘Reporting of health practitioners by their treating practitioner under Australia’s national mandatory reporting law’, Medical Journal of Australia 204(1), 24.

  • Bismark, MM, Mathews, B, Morris, JM, and others (2016) ‘Views on mandatory reporting of impaired health practitioners by their treating practitioners: a qualitative study from Australia’, BMJ Open 6(12), e011988.

  • Carney, T., Beaupert, F., Chiarella, M. and others (2016) ‘Health complaints and regulatory reform: implications for vulnerable populations?’, Journal of Law and Medicine 23(3), 650-661.

  • Spittal, MJ, Studdert, DM, Paterson, R, and others (2016) ‘Outcomes of notifications to health practitioner boards: a retrospective cohort study’, BMC Medicine 14(1), 198.


  • Spittal, MJ, Studdert, DM, Paterson R, and others. Correction to: Outcomes of notifications to health practitioner boards: a retrospective cohort study. BMC Medicine [Internet]. 2018; 16.
  • Bismark, MM, Fletcher, M, Spittal, MJ, and others (2015) ‘A step towards evidence-based regulation of health practitioners’, Australian Health Review 39(4). 483-5.

  • Spittal, MJ, Bismark, MM, Studdert, DM (2015) ‘The PRONE score: an algorithm for predicting doctors' risks of formal patient complaints using routinely collected administrative data’, BMJ Quality and Safety 24(6), 360-8.
  • Beaupert, F, Carney, T, Chiarella, M, and others (2014) ‘Regulating healthcare complaints: a literature review’, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance 27(6), 505-18.

  • Bismark, MM, Morris, JM, Clarke C (2014) ‘Mandatory reporting of impaired medical practitioners: protecting patients, supporting practitioners’, Internal Medicine Journal 44(12a),1165-1169. 

  • Bismark, MM, Spittal, MJ, Pleuckhahn, TM and others (2014) ‘Mandatory reports of concerns about the health, performance and conduct of health practitioners’ Medical Journal of Australia 201(7), 399-403.

  • Health Issues Centre (2014) ‘Setting things right: improving the consumer experience of AHPRA including the joint notification process between AHPRA and OHSC: Final report’ Melbourne, Australia: Health Issues Centre Inc., 2014. Read the media release.

  • Bismark, MM, Spittal MJ, Gurrin, LC and others (2013) ‘Identification of doctors at risk of recurrent complaints: a national study of healthcare complaints in Australia’, BMJ Quality and Safety 22(7), 532–40.
 

This list of publications is provided for general information only, and readers should assess whether the information is relevant for them.

To the extent permitted by law, Ahpra excludes liability for any loss (including loss from viruses) caused by use or reliance on the links included in the publication list.

Ahpra does not control, and accepts no liability for, the content of those websites or the publications available on them. Ahpra does not endorse or warrant those websites or publications. Use of any external website is governed by the terms of that site. The provision of a link to an external website does not authorise you to reproduce, adapt or modify in any way the material on that site.

Ahpra may amend or withdraw material on this publication list at any time without notice.

Before you make a data access request, first consider, who should I ask?

We are able to answer many requests for information, including data, without having to fill out an official data access request form.

If you are from a media outlet you can contact our media team on (03) 8708 9200, who can help you with your request.

If you are a member of the public with a general query or registered health practitioner with a question about your registration, you can contact our customer service team on 1300 419 195 or go to our Contact us page for more information.

If you wish to submit a Freedom of information (FOI) request or would like more information on the Freedom of Information Act and Ahpra please go to our Freedom of Information page.

If you believe you still need to submit an official data access request, check out the policies and procedures you need to read and follow to make a data access request.

 
 
 
Page reviewed 28/11/2023