A retrospective study has described the characteristics associated with away-from-home hospitalisations for Māori whānau, and supports the development of policies which better meet whānau Māori needs. The study used data from the National Minimum Dataset over the period 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2014. More than 10% of all routine hospitalisations constituted an away-from-home hospitalisation for Māori (i.e., hospitalisations in a different DHB area), and 25% of transfer hospitalisations were to a different DHB area. Awayfrom-home hospital admissions increased for Māori as deprivation increased for both routine and transfer admissions, with over half of Māori hospital admissions among those living in areas of high deprivation. The study authors noted that the cumulative impact of the need to travel to hospital for care, poverty and a primarily reimbursement-based travel assistance system perpetuate an unequal cost burden for Māori whānau.
