Indigenous Australians using the NSW public hospital system reported less satisfaction with their treatment than their non-Indigenous peers, according to new data.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But on the whole, a large majority of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians gave positive ratings of their hospital care and attending medical professionals.
The Bureau of Health Information (BHI) on Tuesday released new data on 8000 Indigenous people who were admitted to a NSW hospital between 2014 and 2019, as well as almost 300 women who gave birth in one of the state's hospitals in 2019.
It found ratings of care provided by Aboriginal admitted patients improved from 2014 to 2019 in several areas, most notably in rural NSW hospitals.
But a gulf between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians still exists.
More than seven in 10 Aboriginal patients said health professionals always explained things in an understandable way, but that figure was eight in 10 for non-Aboriginal patients.
"Aboriginal patients admitted to hospital were significantly less likely to provide positive ratings of communication, information provision and being treated with respect and dignity," BHI chief executive Diane Watson said in a statement.
In maternity care, 77 per cent of surveyed Indigenous women said they always had confidence in the health professionals who cared for them during childbirth.
However confidence rates sat at 85 per cent among non-Indigenous women.
More than a quarter of surveyed Indigenous women also said their decision on how to feed their baby was not always respected.
Dr Watson said the data should be used to drive improvements in Indigenous health, highlighting the importance of Aboriginal Health Workers in supporting and communicating with patients.
Some 70 per cent of Indigenous patients able to obtain the support of an Aboriginal Health Worker deemed their health care as "very good".
"Our analysis provides a clear message about the importance of Aboriginal Health Workers, with people who were supported by these specialised staff reporting significantly more positive experiences across a wide range of areas," Dr Watson said.
The rate of Indigenous hospitalisation for all causes per 100,000 people in NSW was almost double that of non-Indigenous people in 2018-19.
Australian Associated Press
