Rates of Māori women receiving surgical treatment for urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in Southern District Health Board.

AIMS: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and urinary incontinence (UI) are common gynaecological conditions that are amenable to surgical management. The prevalence of these conditions has not been well studied in the New Zealand population, but limited evidence suggests that Māori women are likely to have a higher prevalence of POP and UI than non-Māori women. The aim of this study was to formally document the rate of access to these surgical procedures for Māori and non-Māori women in the area served by Southern District Health Board (SDHB).

METHODS: A retrospective descriptive study of women who underwent surgical management for POP and/or UI at SDHB facilities between 2015 and 2019 was performed.

RESULTS: Unadjusted results suggested that there was a difference in the accessibility of operations for Māori and non-Māori. However, standardisation for the difference in the age structures of the two populations showed that Māori and non-Māori women access gynaecological surgery for POP and UI at very similar rates.

CONCLUSIONS: We have documented that the standardised rates for Māori and non-Māori women accessing POP and UI surgery are similar in SDHB. Owing to the likely greater prevalence of these conditions in Māori women, the near equality of standardised rates of surgical intervention is likely to represent an inequity of access for Māori women.