Health checks for First Nations people

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Development of a new indicator on ear health checks Overview Age and sex
  • 25%

    of First Nations people (259,941 people) had a health check in 2023–24. The trend shows a moderate rise from the low during the pandemic of 20.8%.

Development of a new indicator on ear health checks

As part of the AIHW national Key Performance Indicators (nKPI) collection, a set of primary health care indicators for First Nations. a new indicator on ear health checks has been agreed: 

PI26: Proportion of First Nations regular clients aged 0–14 who received an ear health check in the previous 12 months, including whether a visual check, tympanic movement check, or both, were performed.

The nKPI collection contains data on First Nations regular clients of organisations that receive funding under the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme.

The indicator is currently in a pilot phase, as the data for it has not yet been fully developed. As an alternative measure, data on the participation of First Nations people in health checks is provided.

Through Medicare, First Nations people can receive health checks from their doctor that are specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as well as follow-up services from other health professionals. The health check is an opportunity for First Nations people to have their ears checked. For children 0–14 the health check should include an ear examination and for those aged 15–54 the health check should include an ear examination and hearing test (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing n.d.).

The extent of the hearing check may vary from doctor to doctor, but it is expected that asking the patient about their (or parent about their child’s) hearing ability, and at least an otoscopy (visual examination of the ear canal and tympanic membrane) would take place. Conducting an otoscopy is listed in the MBS schedule for item 715.

About the data

This section presents information on First Nations people who had a First Nations-specific health check, including health checks billed to Medicare by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services or other health services for First Nations people, as well as by mainstream general practitioners. 

The information comes from Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) data. The MBS is a list of health services covered by a Medicare rebate. Certain MBS items refer to health checks intended for people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin (MBS item numbers 715, 228, 92004, 92011, 92016, and 92023).

As the data are limited to MBS items billed to Medicare, they do not provide a complete picture of health checks provided to First Nations people. For example, First Nations people may receive health care that is not First Nations-specific, that is provided in residential aged care, or through a health care provider who is not eligible to bill Medicare. 

The minimum time allowed between health checks is 9 months, so people can have more than one health check in a year.

For more information about First Nations-specific health checks and follow-up services, see Health checks and follow-ups for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Note that different estimates of the First Nations population are used in the calculation of population rates for different analyses, generally depending on whether the information relates to a single time period or change over time. For this reason, there are minor inconsistencies in information across tables.

Overview

In 2023–24, 25% (259,941 people) of First Nations people completed a health check. This was similar to the previous year with 24.2% in 2022–23.

Age and sex

First Nations females (27%) had higher overall uptake of health checks than males (23%). This is in line with previous years; females have consistently had a higher uptake than males over the past decade.

The uptake of health checks generally increased with age. The aged group 65–‍74 (17,002) showed the highest uptake of health checks in terms of percentage with 38.2% and the 15–24 age group had the lowest in terms of percentage with 20.5% but the highest in terms of numbers, with 40,609 people).

For further information, see: Health checks and follow-ups for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Among First Nations children 0–14, the proportion who had a health check in 2023–24:

  • was highest at 27.8% for children aged 3–4 years (11,701 children).
  • ranged from 21.3–24.3% for children aged 0–2 years, 5–6 years, 7–9 years and 10–14 years (Figure SCREENING 5).

Figure SCREENING 5: Health checks for First Nations children aged 0–14, by age, 2023–24

Column chart shows proportion of First Nations children who had health checks ranges from 21% of those aged 7–9 or 10–14 to 26% of those aged 3–4.

Measure

Source: AIHW analysis of MBS data; populations based on ABS data.

For all ages of First Nations people, the percentage of the population receiving health checks is rising steadily after a drop during the pandemic and for 2023-24 the percentage stands at 25% (259,941 people) (Figure SCREENING 6).

Figure SCREENING 6: Health checks for First Nations people, by financial year, 2016–17 to 2023–24

Column chart shows proportion of First Nations children who had health checks ranges from 21% of those aged 7–9 or 10–14 to 26% of those aged 3–4.

Measure

Source: AIHW analysis of MBS data; Populations based on Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data

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