Thursday, November 25, 2010

Dentists feature in health policy survey

The Menzies – Nous Australia Health Policy Survey 2010 has just been released, providing valuable insights into the views held by Australians about their own health, the Australian health system and affordability of health and aged care services. The survey also provides an assessment of consumer satisfaction when they interact with health and aged care services and their confidence about future encounters.
Regarding dental treatment and dentists, the survey found that:
• People under financial pressure tended to skip tests, medication and dental treatment
• Pharmacists and the services they provided were ranked highest while Australians were least satisfied with dentists and services offered by public hospitals
• 63% (55% in 2008) of respondents had been to a dentist this year
• 59% of school children up to year 10 had been to a dentist this year as had 73% of university students.
The first survey was conducted in 2008.
The Menzies Centre for Health Policy is a collaborative centre between The Australian National University and The University of Sydney.