Reports indicate that changes are needed to close the gap for Indigenous health

Abstract

The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet's mission is to contribute to improvements in Indigenous health by making relevant, high quality knowledge and information easily accessible to policy makers, health service providers, program managers, clinicians, researchers and the general community.The HealthInfoNet addresses this mission by undertaking research into various aspects of Indigenous health and disseminating the results (and other relevant knowledge and information) mainly via its Internet site (www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au). The HealthInfoNet's research mainly involves analysis and synthesis of data and other information obtained from academic, professional, government and other sources.The HealthInfoNet's work in translational research aims at transferring the results of pure and applied research into policy and practice. In this research, the HealthInfoNet addresses the knowledge needs of a wide range of potential users. These include policy makers, health service providers, program managers, clinicians and other health professionals (including Indigenous health workers), and researchers. The HealthInfoNet also provides easy-to-read and summarised material for students and the general community. Director:Professor Neil Thomson Address:Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet PrefaceThis Overview has been prepared by the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet as a part of our contributions to 'closing the gap' in health between Indigenous people and other Australians by making relevant, high quality knowledge and information easily accessible to policy makers, health service providers, program managers, clinicians, researchers, students and the general community. 1The main purpose of the Overview is to provide a comprehensive summary of the most recent indicators of the health of Indigenous people. It is beyond the scope of the Overview to analyse trends in the various indicators, so it tends to draw attention to the current health status of Australia's Indigenous peoples. The Overview doesn't attempt to review other aspects, such as the availability and use of services (including barriers to their use) and strategies and policies related to specific health topics. Readers interested in these aspects should refer to the topic-specific reviews that are available on the HealthInfoNet's website.Research for the Overview involves the collection, collation, and analysis of a wide range of relevant information, including both published and unpublished material. Sources include government reports, particularly those produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council (AHMAC) and the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision (SCRGSP).Very important additions to the regular ABS and AIHW publications are four series of special reports that bring together key information about Indigenous disadvantages in health and related areas: This Overview draws heavily on information from the main adminis...

Long-term morbidity and mortality in survivors of critical illness: a 5-year observational follow-up study

“…This could be viewed as a poor economic investment given the significant costs at the 'front end' of critical and acute care medicine, and suggests a need to increase investment at the primary health level. Expenditure per person on non-hospital secondary services for Indigenous Australians is about 57% of that for non-Indigenous people, suggesting that a large proportion of secondary and primary care occurs at acute care facilities, and this would be supported by the high rates of healthcare utilisation seen in this cohort 4,27 . This conclusion is supported by a recent article by Zhao and colleagues who modelled the economic benefits of eliminating Indigenous health inequality in the Northern Territory, reporting that closure of the gap would result in significant economic benefits 26 .…”

“…The authors chose to use a measure (secondary healthcare presentation per year alive) that attempted to control for mortality, while also recognising that primary healthcare facilities are relatively under-used by Indigenous peoples 27 . Both ED presentations and re-admissions were included in this measure because Indigenous patients are hospitalised more frequently for preventable diseases, receive far more of their secondary medical care in hospitals and have less spent per person on Medicare services and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme 4,7,26,27 . An interpretation of this data is that acute care facilities are providing more primary and preventative care services.…”

“…ICU mortality, particularly for sepsis-related admissions, has decreased over the past decade, but there continues to be insufficient information about the outcomes of survivors 4,5 . What little data exists has been derived from large tertiary institutions in capital cities, and demonstrate persisting functional deficits, and increased rates of healthcare utilisation [8][9][10][11][12] .…”

“…In addition to the excess mortality, there is substantial morbidity, with increased rates of hospitalisation for preventable disease 4 . Although there is some evidence the gap may be closing, many Closing the Gap targets remain behind schedule, including that of lowering death rates, while funding in real terms has fallen 5-7 .…”

Strategic information for hospital service planning: a linked data study to inform an urban Aboriginal Health Liaison Officer program in Western Australia

“…[6][7][8] A recent health expenditure report indicates that Aboriginal patients receive almost all their specialist services in hospital. 9,10 Increasingly, the need for the hospital system to consider the special needs of Aboriginal patients during the hospital stay and after discharge is being recognised. 6 In 2009, the Perth-based South Metropolitan Health Service (SMHS) and Aboriginal community representatives undertook consultations 11,12 to develop a strategy for improving health outcomes for Aboriginal people in the SMHS region (estimated Aboriginal population 15 317 in 2011 13 ) admitted to two tertiary and three district hospitals administered by the SMHS.…”