Related Experiment Videos
Are Maori under-served for cardiac interventions?
I Westbrooke1, J Baxter, J Hogan
1New Zealand Health Funding Authority. iwestbrooke@doc.govt.nz
Insights
Hospitalisation rates for heart failure and cardiac interventions vary significantly by age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Maori populations experience disproportionately higher heart failure hospitalisation rates and lower cardiac intervention rates.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular epidemiology
- Health services research
- Public health
Background:
- Understanding disparities in cardiovascular disease hospitalisation is crucial for targeted interventions.
- Existing data often lack multi-dimensional analysis of factors influencing hospitalisation rates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate hospitalisation rates for heart failure and cardiac interventions.
- To analyze these rates across age, gender, ethnicity (Maori/non-Maori), and deprivation levels.
Main Methods:
- Utilized four years of publicly-funded hospital discharge data.
- Cross-classified data by age, gender, ethnicity, and New Zealand Deprivation Index (NZDep96).
- Employed multi-dimensional trellis graphs for visualization of population hospitalisation rates.
Main Results:
- Heart failure hospitalisation increases with age and higher deprivation.
- Cardiac intervention rates rise with age up to 65-74 years.
- Significant ethnic disparities observed: Maori heart failure rates are double non-Maori rates, while cardiac intervention rates are lower for Maori.
Conclusions:
- Multi-dimensional graphical analysis effectively reveals complex hospitalisation patterns.
- Ethnic disparities in heart failure and cardiac interventions are significant and concerning.
- Urgent attention is needed to address Maori health needs and equitable access to cardiac care.
Aims:
To examine hospitalisation rates for selected heart-disease-related diagnoses by age, gender, ethnicity and deprivation.
Methods:
Four years' data on publicly-funded hospital discharges for: (i) heart failure and (ii) cardiac interventions were cross-classified by age group, gender, ethnicity (Maori/non-Maori) and deprivation (NZDep96). Population hospitalisation rates were calculated and displayed in multi-dimensional trellis graphs.
Results:
The graphs show patterns of hospitalisation for chosen variables simultaneously. The expected increase in heart failure with age is found, as is an increase for the cardiac group up to ages 65-74 years. Clear gender differences were found. A further increase of heart failure with higher deprivation is evident throughout. For cardiac interventions, the relationship with deprivation is complex. Differences by ethnicity are disturbing. Hospitalisation rates for heart failure for Maori are typically more than double the non-Maori rates. In contrast, for the cardiac group Maori intervention rates are much lower.
Conclusions:
Graphical analysis that displays age, gender, ethnicity and deprivation simultaneously provides great insight into hospitalisation rates. Ethnic differences are particularly concerning and raise important questions about how well Maori needs are being met and how equitable is access to cardiac interventions for Maori.