"So we can get systems working in the best interests of the patient."
She said because the health sector was "quite complex" it was easy for people to get lost in the system.
The Health Passport was an initiative introduced to Wairarapa in November last year. Dr Boyles said it was for people who used doctors a lot and experienced on-going conditions.
"It's for people with any issues, who experience some kind of barriers with disability, and people who want to make the health system work for them."
The passport stores the patient's medical history. Using one gives doctors instant access to a wider picture of the patient's overall health, and ultimately cuts down appointment times.
People wouldn't have to tell their story "ten times over" to the doctor.
Dr Boyles said younger people with disabilities were often less worried about stigmas than the older sufferers.
Sixty per cent of New Zealanders over 65 had some form of disability.
The younger ones could set an example for older people who may be finding it hard to adapt to new limitations, she said.
"Any one who lives with a condition and has adapted has something to teach [others] about themselves."
Dr Boyles said it was not always obvious when a person was living with a physical or mental condition.
"It's not something you can always visually see so it's best not to make assumptions."
She said a person living with a "physical, physiological, sensory, mental health or some other chronic illness that was debilitating, which goes on for six months or more", was classed as someone with a disability.
"It's important that medical practitioners and other staff understand the experience."
She said SIDU was about making sure the services available in the sub-region understood what barriers those living with disabilities faced.
