Access to healthcare was found to be an important factor for Māori to improve injury outcomes in a longitudinal cohort study of 375 Māori and 1824 non-Māori participants in the Prospective Outcomes of Injury Study. A total of 105 (28%) Māori and 446 (24%) non-Māori were hospitalised for their injury and 26% and 10% still experienced disability at 24 months after the injury, respectively. Factors contributing to disability outcomes at 24 months after injury were similar for Māori and non-Māori, except Māori reported trouble accessing healthcare services for their injury (RR 2.6; 95% CI 1.3–5.2). Other factors associated with an increased risk of disability 24 months after injury for Māori included hospitalisation for injury and not working for pay before their injury (RR 2.7; 95% CI 1.4–4.9) and experiencing disability before their injury (RR 3.1; 95% CI 1.6–5.8). Additional factors for non-Māori included inadequate household income before injury (RR 2.4; 95% CI 1.4–4.1), less than secondary school qualifications (RR 2.0; 95% CI 1.1–3.8), ≥2 chronic conditions (RR 3.5; 95% CI 2.0–6.4), and body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 (RR 2.4; 95% CI 1.3–4.4).
