title: Are Maori under-served for cardiac interventions?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine hospitalisation rates for selected heart-disease-related diagnoses by age, gender, ethnicity and deprivation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four years' data on publicly-funded hospital discharges for: (i) heart failure and (ii) cardiac interventions were cross-classified by age group, gender, ethnicity (Maori/non-Maori) and deprivation (NZDep96). Population hospitalisation rates were calculated and displayed in multi-dimensional trellis graphs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The graphs show patterns of hospitalisation for chosen variables simultaneously. The expected increase in heart failure with age is found, as is an increase for the cardiac group up to ages 65-74 years. Clear gender differences were found. A further increase of heart failure with higher deprivation is evident throughout. For cardiac interventions, the relationship with deprivation is complex. Differences by ethnicity are disturbing. Hospitalisation rates for heart failure for Maori are typically more than double the non-Maori rates. In contrast, for the cardiac group Maori intervention rates are much lower.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Graphical analysis that displays age, gender, ethnicity and deprivation simultaneously provides great insight into hospitalisation rates. Ethnic differences are particularly concerning and raise important questions about how well Maori needs are being met and how equitable is access to cardiac interventions for Maori.
authors.affiliation: New Zealand Health Funding Authority. iwestbrooke@doc.govt.nz
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Westbrooke
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baxter
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hogan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000208:ethnology; D017678:Sex Distribution