Rating access to health care: Are there differences according to geographical region?

To report on satisfaction with access to health care in Queensland focussing on regional differences.

A sub-sample of 4440 respondents with no history of cancer from the Queensland Cancer Risk Study who completed a self-administered questionnaire was used for this study.

Perceptions of overall difficulty gaining access to health care and ratings of access to various health care services by region.

Queenslanders living outside major cities reported less satisfaction with access to various aspects of health care services. Age was associated with more favourable ratings of health care access.

Despite public health efforts to increase service provision throughout Queensland, health care access is still rated relatively less favourably by Queenslanders in regional and remote parts of the state.

Identifying which services are difficult to access and why will assist public health policy makers in improving health service accessibility.