A study done at The Ottawa Hospital suggests that Inuit in Nunavut are 25% more likely to have postoperative complications than non-Inuit patients.
According to the researchers, this observation may be due to the lack of health care adapted to the Inuit culture.
The study published Tuesday in the online journal Canadian Medical Association (CMA) Journal used adult patients at The Ottawa Hospital between 2011 and 2018.
This hospital is one of the main providers of care in the Qikiqtani region northeast of Nunavut, home to half of the Inuit population in the territory.
.The homecoming message is always that if you need treatment or surgery in Ottawa, it is always very safe to get these services. according to Dr. Donna May Kimmaliardjuk, study author and cardiac surgeon.
The study came a year after a systematic review found that Indigenous people faced a 30% higher mortality rate after surgery than non-Indigenous patients in Canada.
The authors of this review also reviewed the literature indicating that Aboriginal patients suffered from higher rates of surgical complications, including postoperative infections and hospital readmissions.
Dr. said. Jason McVicar, lead author of both reviews, showed last year that there was no data specific to Inuit and Métis communities.
We found out that there was this difference said Dr. McVicar, a Métis anesthetist at The Ottawa Hospital. So we decided to look at seven years of data and we were able to look at all the operations that took place in Ottawa at that time.
The researchers identified the Inuit of Nunavut by a code on their health card number. Inuit patients from Nunavut numbered 928 in 98,701 operations. The study looked at outcomes one month after surgery for all hospitalized patients, excluding obstetric or heart surgeries.
There was no difference in outcomes after emergency surgery between Inuit and non -Inuit patients.
But Dr. said. McVicar that Inuit patients in Nunavut who had elective surgeries were 58% more likely to have complications, and that in cases of cancer surgeries, the proportion of chances of complications increased to 63% .
Dr. says. Kimmaliardjuk that poor access to care in Nunavut is likely the reason for such results.
When you don’t have access to timely care and are culturally appropriate, you experience delayed diagnosis and delayed surgery, which means surgery is done in the later stages of the disease. he explained.
As a surgeon, when someone approaches you that is more painful, the operation becomes more difficult and increases your risk of complications.
The research team is trying to expand the types of surgeries that can be done with Nunavut, so that patients can receive care closer to home. Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa already have partnerships with general operations teams in Iqaluit.
For many people in Nunavut, receiving care in Ottawa is comparable to someone in Ontario traveling to Mexico City for surgery, according to Dr. McVicar.
“In terms of distance traveled, differences in climate, language, culture, isolation, these challenges are unfathomable for some people,” he explains.
For the Inuit of Nunavut, this is a daily occurrence.
Dr. added. Kimmaliardjuk said he would like to see more medical screening services in Nunavut, as well as expanded telehealth services with specialists.
We have real numbers that we didn’t have before that we can present to legislatures, governments, organizations and policy makers to show where and why we should invest our resources and our money.
Source: Radio-Canada
