Hospital utilisation among people born in refugee-source countries: an analysis of hospital admissions, Victoria, 1998-2004.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether hospital utilisation and health outcomes in Victoria differ between people born in refugee-source countries and those born in Australia.


METHODS
Analysis of a statewide hospital discharge dataset for the 6 financial years from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 2004. Hospital admissions of people born in eight countries for which the majority of entrants to Australia arrived as refugees were included in the analysis.


METHODS
Age-standardised rates and rate ratios for: total hospital admissions; emergency admissions; surgical admissions; total days in hospital; discharge at own risk; hospital deaths; admissions due to infectious and parasitic diseases; and admissions due to mental and behavioural disorders.


RESULTS
In 2003-04, compared with the Australia-born Victorian population, people born in refugee-source countries had lower rates of surgical admission (rate ratio [RR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.81-0.88), total days in hospital (RR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.73-0.75), and admission due to mental and behavioural disorders (RR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.65-0.76). Over the 6-year period, rates of total days in hospital and rates of admission due to mental and behavioural disorders for people born in refugee-source countries increased towards Australian-born averages, while rates of total admissions, emergency admissions, and admissions due to infectious and parasitic diseases increased above the Australian-born averages.


CONCLUSIONS
Use of hospital services among people born in refugee-source countries is not higher than that of the Australian-born population and shows a trend towards Australian-born averages. Our findings indicate that the Refugee and Humanitarian Program does not currently place a burden on the Australian hospital system.
Correa-Velez
Ignacio
I
Refugee Health Research Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC. i.correa-velez@latrobe.edu.au
Sundararajan
Vijaya
V
Brown
Kaye
K
Gifford
Sandra M
SM
D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008485:Medical Audit; D008877:Middle East / Q000208:ethnology; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012036:Refugees / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014600:Utilization Review; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology