Accessibility and Quality of Care Received in Emergency Departments by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

  • user warning: Got error 28 from storage engine query: SELECT t.*,v.weight AS v_weight_unused FROM term_node r INNER JOIN term_data t ON r.tid = t.tid INNER JOIN vocabulary v ON t.vid = v.vid LEFT JOIN term_data tac_td ON t.tid = tac_td.tid WHERE (t.tid IN (0, 16) OR tac_td.vid NOT IN (4,6)) AND ( r.vid = 2961 )ORDER BY v.weight, t.weight, t.name in /home/unicmsne/public_html/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.module on line 640.
  • user warning: Got error 28 from storage engine query: SELECT DISTINCT b.* FROM blocks b LEFT JOIN blocks_roles r ON b.module = r.module AND b.delta = r.delta WHERE b.theme = 'lime' AND b.status = 1 AND (r.rid IN (1) OR r.rid IS NULL) ORDER BY b.region, b.weight, b.module in /home/unicmsne/public_html/modules/block/block.module on line 460.
Year: 2008
Author(s): Thomas, D., Anderson, I. & Kelaher, M.
Book/Journal: Australian Health Review
Volume and Page Info: Vol. 32, Iss. 4, pp.648-654
Type: Journal
Topics:
Evidenced Based Programs and Research
Publisher: Australian Health Review
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To examine the accessibility and quality of care received in emergency departments by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people compared with other Australians. METHODS: We examined 2004-05 data from the National Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care database from the Northern Territory and Western Australia, the only jurisdictions where Indigenous identification in the database was considered acceptable. RESULTS: In the NT, Indigenous people were 1.7 times as likely to present to an emergency department as non-Indigenous people. Indigenous patients in the NT and WA do not appear to use EDs for "primary care" problems more than non-Indigenous patients. More NT Indigenous patients walked out before being seen or before their treatment was completed. However, Indigenous patients generally waited a similar time, and often slightly shorter, to be seen as similar non-Indigenous patients in WA and the NT. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend the regular monitoring of equity in the accessibility and quality of ED care for Indigenous people compared with other Australians. Indigenous identification in the database needs to improve so monitoring of ED performance can extend beyond WA and the NT.