Patterns of general practitioner usage among Pacific people: indicative results from the Waikato Medical Care Survey 1991-2.
OBJECTIVE
To report patterns of medical contact in a representative sample of Pacific people attending the general practitioner.


METHODS
The data were drawn from a survey of general practice in the Waikato region representing a one per cent sample of all weekday encounters. In total, 12,833 patient encounter forms were completed. Just over one per cent of all encounters were recorded for patients of Pacific Islands background.


RESULTS
Rates of medical contact for Pacific patients were lower-3.4 visits per year versus 4.5 for the whole sample-fewer follow up visits were requested (71% versus 76.2%), presentation was delayed (4.9 days from onset versus 3.7 for the sample) and there was an apparently lower level of rapport achieved.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall levels of medical contact and return visits among Pacific patients appear to be lower and presentation delayed in this Waikato sample.
Davis
P
P
Centre for Health Services Research and Policy, University of Auckland.
Lay-Yee
R
R
Maingay
S
S
Gribben
B
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010139:Pacific Islands / Q000208:ethnology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*