Premium
INEQUALITIES IN RURAL HEALTH CARE: DIFFERENCES IN SURGICAL INTERVENTION BETWEEN METROPOLITAN AND RURAL WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Author(s) -
Ng Jonathon Q.,
Hall Sonja E.,
Holman C. D’Arcy J.,
Semmens James B.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
anz journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.426
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 1445-1433
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.2005.03375.x
Subject(s) - medicine , metropolitan area , poisson regression , residence , rural area , demography , surgery , environmental health , population , pathology , sociology
Background: To compare surgical procedure rates between metropolitan and rural/remote residents in Western Australia (WA). Methods: The WA Data Linkage System was used to identify all patients who underwent a procedure for cataract, ureteric calculi or urinary outflow obstruction symptoms for the time periods 1981–2000, 1981–1997 and 1981–1995, respectively. Age‐standardized procedure rates were calculated and Poisson regression modelling was used to estimate effects of locality of residence and demographic covariates. Results: Overall, rural/remote patients underwent first‐time procedures for cataract (IRR 0.92; 95% CI 0.90–0.94), ureteric calculi (0.76; 0.72–0.80), or urinary outflow obstruction (0.71; 0.69–0.74) less frequently than patients in the metropolitan area. They were also significantly less likely to undergo multiple procedures for cataracts (0.90; 0.88–0.91) and ureteric calculi (0.69; 0.67–0.73). Conclusion: A distinctly reduced level of surgical intervention was found in rural patients for three generally non‐life threatening conditions. The reasons for this require further investigation.