Differences exist between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal patient experiences, but are not universal
A recently published study across 23 countries and 28 populations highlighted the pervasiveness of poor health outcomes among Indigenous people.1 In Australia, while gaps in health status between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people are well documented,2,3 until now little was known about the extent of differences in Aboriginal patients’ experiences of care and self-reported outcomes following hospitalisation. In New South Wales, the Bureau of Health Information (BHI) has recently released a report based on survey responses from 2682 Aboriginal and 22 997 non-Aboriginal patients.4 The report highlights differences between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal patients’ experiences, particularly in terms of interpersonal aspects of care, coordination and integration, and patient-reported outcomes. Many of the findings have implications for hospital doctors.
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- 2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The health and welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: 2015 (AIHW Cat. No. IHW 147). Canberra: AIHW, 2015. www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=60129550168 (accessed Oct 2016).
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- 8. Bureau of Health Information. Snapshot report: adult admitted patient survey results 2014. Sydney: BHI, 2015. www.bhi.nsw.gov.au/BHI_reports/snapshot_reports/adult_admitted_patient_survey_results_2014 (accessed Oct 2016).
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