A new audit of Australian hospitals shows Indigenous stroke patients receive an inferior level of care within the same hospitals, having a 30% lower chance of receiving treatment from a stroke unit and a three-fold increased risk of dying or being dependent.
Based on a National Stroke Foundation audit of 33 hospitals around the country in 2009, the researchers found Indigenous Australians with stroke were less often given recommended care, and had a three-fold increased risk of dying or being dependent on discharge.
Indigenous patients were about 30% less likely to receive care from a stroke unit than non-Indigenous patients, despite most patients being admitted to hospitals with stroke units and their use demonstrated to reduce death and disability by 22%.
None of the...
This site is intended for Registered Medical Practitioners.
To make the most of Endocrinology Update, you need to be logged in.