This observational study used a representative survey of visits to general practitioners to estimate exposure to primary medical care amongst different population groups. The highest annual exposure to primary medical care was observed amongst the elderly (aged > 65 years) and then adults aged 18 to 64 years. Ethnically European New Zealanders had higher annual exposure to primary medical care in comparison to those of Mäori, Pacific, and Asian ethnicity after controlling for age, gender, NZDep2001, rural/urban, and organisation type. There was no effect of deprivation (NZDep2001 quintiles) on exposure to primary medical care after controlling for other factors. The authors note that populations groups with high healthcare needs should be expected to have greater exposure to primary medical care, but that this does not appear to be the case for New Zealanders of Mäori, Pacific, and Asian ethnicity, or for those living in deprived areas.
