Primary health care access and ambulatory sensitive hospitalizations in New Zealand.
Ambulatory sensitive hospitalizations (ASH) are those thought to be preventable by timely and effective primary health care. Better access to primary health care has been associated with lower ASH rates. Funding increases to primary health care in New Zealand beginning in 2001 led to an improvement in access. Analysis of hospitalizations to all New Zealand public hospitals revealed that, for most age groups, ASH rates did not show long-term reductions from 2001 to 2009, while socioeconomic differences in ASH rates widened across this period. We conclude that increasing funding and access to primary health care will not, by itself, reduce ASH rates.
Centre of Methods and Policy Application in the Social Sciences (COMPASS), University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand (Drs Milne and Davis, Ms McLay, and Messrs von Randow and Lay-Yee,); Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation Centre (SHORE), Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand (Mr Parker); Department of Public Health and General Practice, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand (Dr Hider); and Health Service Research Centre, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand (Dr Cumming).
Barry John
BJ
Milne
Karl
K
Parker
Jessica
J
McLay
Martin
M
von Randow
Roy
R
Lay-Yee
Phil
P
Hider
Jacqueline
J
Cumming
Peter
P
Davis
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D011320:Primary Health Care; D055815:Young Adult