Maori/non-Maori patterns of contact, expressed morbidity and resource use in general practice: data from the Waikato Medical Care Survey 1991-2.
OBJECTIVE
To compare patterns of contact, expressed morbidity and resource use in primary care for a representative sample of patients of Maori and non-Maori background.


METHODS
The data are drawn from a survey of general practice in the Waikato region representing a one per cent sample of all week day encounters. The data were recorded by participating general practitioners in four collection weeks spaced over the period of a year. In total, 12,833 patient encounter forms were completed.


RESULTS
Annual rates of general practitioner contact for Maori are slightly lower than those for patients of non-Maori background. The case-mix pattern of general practitioner contact is very similar between the two groups. There is a limited correspondence between ethnic patterns of general practitioner usage and health need (as measured by mortality levels and rates of public hospital discharge).


CONCLUSIONS
The near equivalence in ethnic rates of general practitioner contact revealed in this study contrasts strikingly both with the level of hospitalisation for Maori, which is nearly double that of non-Maori, and with the difference in mortality rates (30% higher for Maori). Attention devoted to improving access to general practitioner services among Maori may be necessary if important areas of ill health and hospital resource use are to be addressed effectively.
Davis
P
P
Centre for Health Services Research and Policy, University of Auckland.
Lay-Yee
R
R
Sinclair
O
O
Gribben
B
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D009026:Mortality; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology*; D016526:Workload