Māori face higher odds of dying during or after ICU stay

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-02-25 00:01

New Zealand

Māori were more likely than NZ Europeans to die in the first six months after admission to intensive care, according to a study of 52,552 patients in 17 ICUs from 2009 to 2018. Despite Māori being 13 years younger on average when they entered ICU, they had more existing health conditions - especially diabetes and renal disease - and more severe illness than their European counterparts. The authors say the greater risk of poor outcomes for Māori could be explained, in part, by having more existing conditions and worse illness, and being more likely to enter ICU in an emergency.

Media release

From: New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA)

Outcomes for Māori and European patients admitted to New Zealand intensive care units between 2009 and 2018

Summary

Despite younger age, Māori admitted to ICUs in New Zealand have more comorbidities and severe illness than their European counterparts. Barriers to accessing ICU for Māori might potentially contribute their higher illness severity by the time of ICU admission. However, the observation that Māori ICU patients are much younger than European ICU patients but still have more chronic comorbidities than they do, implies that an unequal burden of underlying conditions is one contributor to inequality in ICU outcomes.

Journal/
conference: New Zealand Medical Journal

Organisation/s: University of Auckland, Monash University, Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, Statistician University of Melbourne, Wellington Hospital

Funder: This research was conducted during the tenure of a Health Research Council Clinical Practitioner Fellowship held by Paul Young. The Medical Research Institute of New Zealand is supported by independent research organisation funding from the Health Research Council of New Zealand.

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.