scholarly journals Accessibility and quality of care received in emergency departments by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 648 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P Thomas ◽  
Ian P Anderson ◽  
Margaret A Kelaher
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Similar Time ◽  
Emergency Department Care ◽  
Torres Strait

Objectives: To examine the accessibility and quality of care received in emergency departments by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people compared with other Australians. Methods: We examined 2004?05 data from the National Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care database from the Northern Territory and Western Australia, the only jurisdictions where Indigenous identification in the database was considered acceptable. Results: In the NT, Indigenous people were 1.7 times as likely to present to an emergency department as non-Indigenous people. Indigenous patients in the NT and WA do not appear to use EDs for ?primary care? problems more than non- Indigenous patients. More NT Indigenous patients walked out before being seen or before their treatment was completed. However, Indigenous patients generally waited a similar time, and often slightly shorter, to be seen as similar non-Indigenous patients in WA and the NT. Conclusions: We recommend the regular monitoring of equity in the accessibility and quality of ED care for Indigenous people compared with other Australians. Indigenous identification in the database needs to improve so monitoring of ED performance can extend beyond WA and the NT.

Emergency Department Presentations of Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

2008 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 15-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Costa ◽  
Mary Sullivan ◽  
Rae Walker ◽  
Kerin M Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Indigenous Status ◽  
Routinely Collected Data ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Minimum Dataset ◽  
Respiratory Conditions

This paper explains how routinely collected data can be used to examine the emergency department attendances of Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The data reported in the Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset (VEMD) for the 2006/2007 financial year were analysed. The presentations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal people were compared in terms of age, gender, hospital location (metropolitan and rural) and presenting condition. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were found to attend the emergency department 1.8 times more often than non-Aboriginal people. While the emergency department presentation rates of metropolitan Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal people were similar, rural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people presented to the emergency department 2.3 times more often than non-Aboriginal people. The injuries or poisonings, respiratory conditions and mental disorders presentation rates of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal population were compared. No previous studies have assessed the accuracy of the Indigenous status and diagnosis fields in the VEMD; therefore the quality of this data is unknown.

scholarly journals In the pursuit of equity: COVID-19, data and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-45
Author(s):  
Kalinda Griffiths ◽  
Ian Ring ◽  
Richard Madden ◽  
Lisa Jackson Pulver
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Quality Of Data ◽  
Success Story ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Pandemic Planning ◽  
The Future ◽  
Torres Strait

Since March 2020 in Australia, there has been decisive national, and state and territory policy as well as community led action involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as information about COVID-19 arose. This has resulted in, what could only be framed as a success story in self-determination. However, there continues to be issues with the quality of data used for the surveillance and reporting of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people during the pandemic. This article discusses some of the important events in pandemic planning regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and how this relates to surveillance and monitoring in the emerging and ongoing threat of COVID-19 within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The authors also identify some of the data considerations required in the future to monitor and address public health.

scholarly journals What Matters 2 Adults: a study protocol to develop a new preference-based wellbeing measure with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults (WM2Adults)

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Howard ◽  
Kate Anderson ◽  
Joan Cunningham ◽  
Alan Cass ◽  
Julie Ratcliffe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Validity Testing ◽  
Conditional Logit ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Best Worst Scaling ◽  
Descriptive System ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Candidate Item

Abstract Background Understandings of health and wellbeing are culturally bound. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people perceive wellbeing and quality of life (QOL) differently from the Western biomedical models of health underpinning existing QOL instruments. Any instrument to measure the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be culturally appropriate and safe, include relevant dimensions, and be informed by their own values and preferences. Existing QOL instruments do not meet these standards. This study will generate a new preference-based wellbeing measure, WM2Adults, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, underpinned by their values and preferences. Methods A mixed methods approach will be used; we will employ decolonising methodologies, privilege Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices and perspectives, and adopt a strengths-based approach rather than a deficit lens. Yarning Circles will be conducted with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia. A candidate item pool will be developed from these data, on which psychometric analysis and validity testing will be undertaken to develop a descriptive system. Following finalisation of the descriptive system, wellbeing states will be valued using a quantitative preference-based approach (best-worst scaling) with a diverse sample of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults (n = 1000). A multinomial (conditional) logit framework will be used to analyse responses and generate a scoring algorithm for the new preference-based WM2Adults measure. Discussion The new wellbeing measure will have wide applicability in assessing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of new programs and services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Results will be disseminated through journals, conferences and policy forums, and will be shared with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, organisations and research participants.

scholarly journals Getting A Job

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronwyn Fredericks
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Torres Strait Islander People ◽  
Aboriginal Women ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Indigenous Participation ◽  
Torres Strait

Indigenous participation in employment has long been seen as an indicator of Indigenous economic participation in Australia. Researchers have linked participation in employment to improved health outcomes, increased education levels and greater self-esteem. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of Indigenous workforce policies and employment strategies as employers and industries attempt to employ more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Coupled with this has been a push to employ more Indigenous people in specific sectors to address the multiple layers of disadvantage experienced by Indigenous people, for example, the health sector. This paper draws on interview discussions with Aboriginal women in Rockhampton, Central Queensland, along with findings from the research of others to offer a greater understanding of the mixed benefits of increased Indigenous employment. What is demonstrated is that the nature of Indigenous employment is complex and not as simple as ‘just getting a job’.

scholarly journals Characteristics of the Admissions of Old-old Patients to the Emergency Department

2020 ◽  
pp. 39-47
Author(s):  
Serkan Dogan ◽  
Busra Bildik ◽  
Melis Dorter ◽  
Utku Murat Kalafat ◽  
Doganay Can ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Discharge Rate ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Time Zone ◽  
Old Patients ◽  
The Hours ◽  
One Year

Aim: Through advances in technology and medicine, life expectancy is longer than before. The area covered by elderly people in the population pyramid has been changing over the years. Emergency departments are often used by elderly patients. It increases the density and fullness in already-crowded departments. In this study, we aimed to examine characteristics of the admissions of old-old people through the EDs and we wanted to discuss the precautions and regulations that might be taken in order to improve the quality of care and management. Methodology: This study was carried out cross-sectionally and retrospectively in the one-year period between 01.01.2017-31.12.2017 in a department of emergency medicine. Patients' age, gender, the hours of admissions to the emergency department, the month of admissions, reasons for admissions, diagnoses, consultations, final status, the place of hospitalization, the name of the hospitalization department and the number of readmissions in a one-year period were recorded in the study form. The study data were analyzed with SPSS for Windows 22.0. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 4331 of these patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 85.25 ± 3.90 and 60.5% of them were female. According to the months, the first three of the admission months were December, November and October (9.7%, 9.6%, 9.2% respectively). The most common admission was in the 08: 00-15: 59 time zone with 47%, followed by 41.8% with the 16: 00-23: 59 time zone.4331 patients included in the study admitted to the emergency department 12.988 times during the study period. 46.2% of the patients admitted to the department once, 53.8% of them admitted 2 times and more. The discharge rate of patients who were admitted only once was 84.2% and the rate was 88.4% for twice and more admissions. Conclusion: The existence and increasing number of this population should not be forgotten in changes to be made in emergency departments and other parts of the health system. Efforts should be made to improve the quality of care and to train staff to manage these patients more quickly and safely.

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