Lay summary
The purpose of the study is to identify any areas of inequity that contribute to the increased death rates for Māori in New Zealand. This is aligned with Southern DHB’s System Level Measures Improvement Plan of amendable mortality. This project does not have any other source of funding.
We hypothesize, that Māori present to the doctor with more advanced disease than non-Māori patients, that cancer waiting times are longer, respectively, and the treatment offered might differ.
This study aims to calculate the mortality rates for Māori with prostate cancer in Southland, to examine the characteristics of Māori at diagnosis and determine the treatment options offered to Māori, compared to non-Māori. We aim to identify areas of potential bias in the screening and treatment of prostate cancer in Southland if those exist.