Medical Xpress November 29, 2024
People with mental health conditions have consistently worse experiences in primary health care and face more barriers to accessing care, a University of Otago—Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka study has found.
Lead author Research Associate Professor Ruth Cunningham, of the Department of Public Health, Wellington, says the negative experiences are more pronounced among Māori.
“Our findings highlight the inequitable care encounters of groups whose experiences are often hidden. They also add to our previous research, which demonstrates bias related to mental health or substance use conditions is affecting the physical care provided in New Zealand’s health system,” she says.
These negative experiences are one of the reasons people with these conditions have worse health outcomes compared to the rest of the population.
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