Morgan J, Donnell A, Bell A
Sexual Health Clinic, Waikato Hospital, Private Bag 3200, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Int J STD AIDS. 2010 Aug;21(8):595-600. doi: 10.1258/ijsa.2010.010213.
Health disparities often reflect inequitable access to appropriate health care. This study aimed to establish if cases of genital chlamydia infection were managed equitably by age, gender and ethnicity in a region of New Zealand with high rates of chlamydia infection (858 per 100,000 population). Clinical records of 415 genital chlamydia cases from 19 different health-care sites, including general practice and community settings, were reviewed. Data were analysed by demographic variables. For those treated, men were treated more quickly than women (median 3 days versus 6 days, P < 0.001), but there was no difference by ethnicity. Cases without documented treatment were more likely to be women (8.2% versus 2.1%, P = 0.037) and more likely to be Māori than non-Māori (13.6% versus 4.8%, P = 0.036). Overall, the most notable issue was the lack of effective partner notification across all demographic variables. Ongoing efforts are required to ensure equitable access to timely treatment and to ensure that more effective partner notification strategies are implemented.
健康差异往往反映出获得适当医疗保健的机会不平等。本研究旨在确定在新西兰衣原体感染率较高（每10万人中有858例）的一个地区，生殖器衣原体感染病例在年龄、性别和种族方面是否得到公平管理。对来自19个不同医疗保健场所（包括全科医疗和社区机构）的415例生殖器衣原体病例的临床记录进行了审查。数据按人口统计学变量进行分析。在接受治疗的患者中，男性比女性治疗得更快（中位数分别为3天和6天，P<0.001），但按种族划分没有差异。未记录治疗情况的病例更可能是女性（8.2%对2.1%，P=0.037），并且毛利人比非毛利人更可能出现这种情况（13.6%对4.8%，P=0.036）。总体而言，最显著的问题是在所有人口统计学变量中缺乏有效的性伴侣通知。需要持续努力以确保公平获得及时治疗，并确保实施更有效的性伴侣通知策略。
