An observational study has shown lower use of emergency medical services (EMS) by Māori, Pacific, Indian and non-Indian Asian patients hospitalised for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in New Zealand compared with patients of European ethnicity. The study included 19,283 patients aged ≥18 years hospitalised with ACS between 2019 and 2021, of whom 25% had ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), 55% had non-STEMI, and 20% had unstable angina. Among patients with STEMI, adjusted odds ratios for EMS use were 0.72 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.58–0.90) for Māori, 0.64 (95% CI 0.48–0.87) for Pacific, 0.63 (95% CI 0.43–0.86) for Indian and 0.52 (95% CI 0.37–0.74) for non-Indian Asian patients compared with European patients. Findings were similar among patients with non-STEMI. Among patients with unstable angina, the odds of EMS use were lower for all ethnic groups compared with Europeans, although the effect was only statistically significant for non-Indian Asian patients. The study authors noted that good-quality information, reduced cost and cultural safety practices by healthcare professionals may decrease barriers to EMS use by non-Europeans.
