Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander emergency department utilisation in south-east Queensland

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander emergency department utilisation in south-east Queensland

Despite governments’ commitments to closing the gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous health status, it is well documented that health inequities still exist. (1,2) There is a paucity of recent information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander presentations, motivation, experience and outcomes within Queensland Emergency Departments. Previously published findings showed that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were more likely to present to the Emergency Departments (ED), less likely to nominate a General Practitioner (GP), more likely to leave before their treatment is complete and more likely to re-attend than nonIndigenous people.(3) Findings from the Australian College for Emergency Medicine (2018) support the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in ED, particularly, in very remote (50%) and remote areas (35%) (4). However, major gaps exist in understanding the number and type of presentations in the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Services (DDHHS) region of South-East Queensland.

DDHHS is the provider of public hospital and health services serving ~300,000 people spread over 90,000 km2 in South-East Queensland. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up five percent of the population, compared with four percent across the state of Queensland. (5,6) Toowoomba Hospital is the largest public hospital in the region with 18 other hospitals spread across the region offering emergency care.

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