The National Health Survey 2001: usefulness to inform a discussion on access to and use of quality primary health care using type 2 diabetes mellitus as an example.
BACKGROUND
This paper explores the usefulness of the 2001 Australian Bureau of Statistics National Health Survey (2001 NHS) for examining access to and use of quality primary health care (PHC) in Australia, using diabetes as an example.


METHODS
Potential indicators of access to and use of quality diabetes care were investigated (diagnosis, preventive pharmacotherapy, complication screening, multidisciplinary care and hospitalisation), and their association with various factors including socioeconomic and diabetes-related health status was assessed.


RESULTS
Older Australian-born females were more likely to receive preventive pharmacotherapy, whereas complication screening was associated with duration of disease. Multidisciplinary care was associated with recent hospitalisation and not health need assessed by presence of comorbidity.


CONCLUSIONS
This novel use of the 2001 NHS provided information on patterns of access to and use of diabetes-related PHC that were consistent with previous research. It suggests a new role for survey data in monitoring access to and use of PHC over time and complementing other population health data collections in this area.
Comino
Elizabeth J
EJ
Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, NSW 1871, Australia. E.Comino@unsw.edu.au
Harris
Mark F
MF
Harris
Elizabeth
E
Powell Davies
Gawaine
G
Chey
Tien
T
Lillioja
Stephen
S
D000368:Aged; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009313:National Health Programs; D009517:New South Wales; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011787:Quality of Health Care