Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Aug;45(4):370-375.
doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.13096. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

Equity in national policies for Australians with kidney disease

Affiliations
Free article

Equity in national policies for Australians with kidney disease

Amanda Dominello et al. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2021 Aug.
Free article

Abstract

Objective: To describe how the Australian Government Department of Health policies address equity in the management of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: We searched the websites of the Australian Government Department of Health, Kidney Health Australia, Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet and the National Rural Health Alliance for policies using the search terms: kidney, renal and chronic.

Results: We included 24 policies that addressed groups of people that experience health inequities: 23 addressed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, 18 rural/remote communities, 12 low socioeconomic status groups, six culturally and linguistically diverse communities and four addressed gender disparities. The scope of the policies ranged from broad national frameworks to subsidised access to health services and medicines. Only two policies explicitly addressed equity for patients with CKD.

Conclusion: CKD outcomes are highly variable across population groups yet Australian Government policies that address access to and the experience of care are limited in both number and their attention to equity issues. Implications for public health: In Australia, some groups of people with CKD have a substantially higher risk of mortality and morbidity than the general CKD population. We advocate for the development and implementation of policies to attain equity for people with CKD.

Keywords: chronic kidney disease; health equity; health policy.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Bello A K, Levin A, Lunney M, Osman M A, Ye F, Ashuntantang GE, et al. Status of care for end stage kidney disease in countries and regions worldwide: International cross sectional survey. BMJ. 2019;367:l5873. doi:10.1136/bmj.l5873
    1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australia's Health 2018. Canberra (AUST): AIHW; 2018.
    1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Chronic Kidney Disease. Catalogue No.: 16. Canberra (AUST): AIHW; 2019.
    1. Levin A, Tonelli M, Bonventre J, Coresh J, Donner JA, Fogo AB, et al. Global kidney health 2017 and beyond: A roadmap for closing gaps in care, research, and policy. Lancet. 2017;390(10105):1888-917.
    1. Garcia-Garcia G, Jha V, World Kidney Day Steering Committee. CKD in disadvantaged populations. Kidney Int. 2015;87(2):251-3.

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources