Primary healthcare needs and service utilisation of people with disability: a data linkage protocol

This project aims to enhance the knowledge of the GP workforce by describing the health needs of people with disability. The research uses Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network (EMPHN)-­owned de-­identified primary care data from Outcome Health’s POpulation Level Analysis and Reporting Tool (POLAR). Data analysis will involve comparisons across disability groups and the rest of the population to explore utilisation (eg, frequency of visits), clinical and preventative care (eg, cancer screening, blood pressure readings) and health needs (eg, health conditions, medications).

• 1
  NDIS participants were less likely to have used pathology collection services, diagnostic imaging and optometry services, which are interventions often associated with preventative care.
• 2
  NDIS participants access publicly subsidised medicines at higher rates (80%) than the rest of the population (62%) and are almost twice as likely to access a specialist, indicating higher health needs and service use for this cohort.
• 3
  NDIS participants were found to be over five times more likely to have visited a hospital in the previous 12 months, and less likely to have received complex preventative care interventions, including cervical and prostate cancer screening.