Erena Wikaire1, Matire Harwood2, Kayla Wikaire-Mackey3, Sue Crengle4, Rachel Brown5, Anneka Anderson6, Rawiri McKree Jansen7, Rawiri Keenan8. 1. Director, Ivy League Ltd: Māori health research consultancy, Northland. 2. Associate Professor, Department of General Practice and Primary Healthcare, University of Auckland and GP, Papakura marae, Auckland. 3. Research assistant, Ivy League Ltd: Māori health research consultancy, Northland. 4. Professor, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin. 5. Leader, Service delivery, National Hauora Coalition. 6. Senior Lecturer, Te Kupenga Hauora Māori, The University of Auckland and National Hauora Coalition. 7. GP and Clinical Director, National Hauora Coalition. 8. Adjunct Senior Fellow, Medical Research Centre, University of Waikato.
Abstract
AIM: Māori experience barriers to accessing timely, quality healthcare. The March 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in New Zealand required provision of Telehealth consultation options in primary care. Telehealth consultations have the potential to improve access to healthcare for Māori, and thereby reduce health inequities. Conversely, Telehealth may present additional barriers that contribute to inequities overall. This scoping project investigated Māori experiences of Telehealth consultations during the March 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. METHOD: Semi-structured key informant interviews were completed with five Māori health professionals, six Māori Telehealth patients, and six Māori in-clinic patients, about their healthcare consultation experiences during COVID-19 lockdown. Participants were asked about what worked, what did not work, and for suggestions to improve future Telehealth provision to Māori whānau. Kaupapa Māori methodology underpinned thematic analysis of the interviews. RESULTS: Key findings are presented in three overarching themes: benefits (safety, cost, time, options); challenges (health literacy, access to Information Technology (IT), supply and demand, limited physical assessment); and suggested improvements (systems fit for purpose, supporting IT and health literacy, Telehealth as a routine option, rapport building, and cross system efficiency and information sharing). CONCLUSION: Telehealth is a viable long-term option that can support Māori whānau access to healthcare.
AIM: Māori experience barriers to accessing timely, quality healthcare. The March 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in New Zealand required provision of Telehealth consultation options in primary care. Telehealth consultations have the potential to improve access to healthcare for Māori, and thereby reduce health inequities. Conversely, Telehealth may present additional barriers that contribute to inequities overall. This scoping project investigated Māori experiences of Telehealth consultations during the March 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. METHOD: Semi-structured key informant interviews were completed with five Māori health professionals, six Māori Telehealth patients, and six Māori in-clinic patients, about their healthcare consultation experiences during COVID-19 lockdown. Participants were asked about what worked, what did not work, and for suggestions to improve future Telehealth provision to Māori whānau. Kaupapa Māori methodology underpinned thematic analysis of the interviews. RESULTS: Key findings are presented in three overarching themes: benefits (safety, cost, time, options); challenges (health literacy, access to Information Technology (IT), supply and demand, limited physical assessment); and suggested improvements (systems fit for purpose, supporting IT and health literacy, Telehealth as a routine option, rapport building, and cross system efficiency and information sharing). CONCLUSION: Telehealth is a viable long-term option that can support Māori whānau access to healthcare.