title: Variation in gout care in Aotearoa New Zealand: a national analysis of quality markers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether there was variation in markers for the quality of gout care using national linked data for the entire Aotearoa New Zealand population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data drawn for the New Zealand Atlas of Healthcare Variation was used to examine regularity of allopurinol dispensing, laboratory testing for serum urate, and acute hospitalisation for gout. Standardised rates by age, gender, ethnicity and District Health Board (DHB) of domicile were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For New Zealanders aged 20-79 years with gout, 57% were dispensed allopurinol in 2010/11. Of these, 69% were receiving allopurinol regularly, and only 34% of people dispensed allopurinol had serum urate testing in a 6-month period. The annual hospitalisation rate was 1% of people with gout. Maori and Pacific people with gout were less likely to be on regular allopurinol treatment, despite having more than twice the chance of being hospitalised with acute gout.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have demonstrated that routinely collected health data can be used to monitor the quality of care for people with gout at a high level. Primary care initiatives that focus on ensuring a continuous supply of urate-lowering therapy to achieve therapeutic serum urate targets are required to improve the impact of gout in Aotearoa New Zealand.
authors.affiliation: Health Partners Consulting Group, PO Box 147-209, Ponsonby, Auckland 1144, New Zealand. gary@healthpartnersconsulting.com.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dalbeth
authors.forename: Leanne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Te Karu
authors.forename: Doone
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Winnard
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gow
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gerard
authors.forename: Nikolai
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Minko
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000493:Allopurinol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006073:Gout / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D006074:Gout Suppressants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care
chemical_list: D006074:Gout Suppressants; D000493:Allopurinol