Our experience of chronic suppurative otitis media at a children's hospital over 10 years

1. The prevalence of chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is influenced by socioeconomic status and therefore reported to be low in developed countries. 2. Māori and Pacific peoples were overrepresented in this cohort of patients and were more likely to have severe disease. 3. Diagnosing CSOM relies on the patient being seen multiple times by a general practitioner. However, due to the critical shortage of primary healthcare workers in New Zealand this is often not possible and can lead to the disease going undiagnosed for prolonged periods of time. 4. Children whose hearing was worse pre-operatively were more likely to have a significant improvement in hearing postoperatively. 5. This is the first study to highlight ethnic disparities in children with CSOM in New Zealand. Addressing health inequities is an important strategy, but a systemic change may be required to achieve sustained equity for these minority ethnic groups.