National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
51 to 64 of 64 Research Studies DisplayedMarcolini EG, Albrecht JS, Sethuraman KN
Gender disparities in trauma care: how sex determines treatment, behavior, and outcome.
This study used US and European trauma database statistics, including the National Trauma Databank, to examine sex disparities in trauma care. Their findings indicate that sex differences in risk-taking behaviors that lead to traumatic injury have been associated with males, with female menstrual cycle timing, and with cortisol levels. Differences in access to services at trauma centers, including triage or transfer and level of medical attention are associated with sex as well race, rural or urban location, and insurance status. Outcomes, such as in-hospital mortality, multiple organ failure, pneumonia, and sepsis are associated with sex disparities in the general trauma patient; outcomes after general trauma and specifically traumatic brain injury show mixed results.
AHRQ-funded; HS024560.
Citation: Marcolini EG, Albrecht JS, Sethuraman KN .
Gender disparities in trauma care: how sex determines treatment, behavior, and outcome.
Anesthesiol Clin 2019 Mar;37(1):107-17. doi: 10.1016/j.anclin.2018.09.007..
Keywords: Access to Care, Disparities, Injuries and Wounds, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Risk, Sex Factors, Trauma
fRIEDMAN j, Saavedra-Avendano B, Schiavon R
Quantifying disparities in access to public-sector abortion based on legislative differences within the Mexico City metropolitan area.
This study examined abortion access and use in the Mexico City metropolitan area, where it is only legal in the city center. Researchers calculated abortion rates for 75 municipalities in the metropolitan area for 2011-2012. Abortion rates were much lower for women who had to travel into the city center (18.6%) than if they had local access. Each additional 15 minutes of travel reduced access by 33.7%. Women who did travel were most likely in a higher socioeconomic status with a higher education level.
AHRQ-funded; HS025155; HS022981.
Citation: fRIEDMAN j, Saavedra-Avendano B, Schiavon R .
Quantifying disparities in access to public-sector abortion based on legislative differences within the Mexico City metropolitan area.
Contraception 2019 Mar;99(3):160-64. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2018.11.012..
Keywords: Access to Care, Disparities, Policy, Women
Tung EL, Hampton DA, Kolak M
Race/ethnicity and geographic access to urban trauma care.
The goal of this study was to examine racial/ethnic differences in geographic access to trauma care in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City using census tract data from the 2015 American Community Survey. The role of residential segregation and neighborhood poverty was also considered. Small-area analyses were conducted to assess trauma desert status; ‘trauma desert’ was defined as a travel distance greater than 8 km to the nearest adult level I or level II trauma center. The results for each city’s census tracts and racial/ethnic categories were compared.
AHRQ-funded; HS023007.
Citation: Tung EL, Hampton DA, Kolak M .
Race/ethnicity and geographic access to urban trauma care.
JAMA Netw Open 2019 Mar;2(3):e190138. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.0138..
Keywords: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Urban Health, Access to Care, Trauma, Disparities
Timbie JW, Kranz AM, Mahmud A
Specialty care access for Medicaid enrollees in expansion states.
The goal of this study was to assess current levels of difficulty accessing specialty care for patients at community health centers (CHCs) by insurance type, in order to identify specific barriers and the strategies that CHCs use to overcome these barriers. A cross-sectional survey was administered to medical directors at CHCs in nine states as well as the District of Columbia, all of which had expanded Medicaid. Among the barriers reported by CHCs were few specialists in Medicaid managed care organization (MCO) networks accepting new patients and MCO administrative requirements for obtaining specialist consults. Strategies to enhance access to specialists included entering into referral agreements, developing appointment reminder systems, and participation in data exchange and other community-based initiatives. The authors conclude that payment policies and network adequacy rules may need to be reexamined to address these challenges.
AHRQ-funded; HS024067.
Citation: Timbie JW, Kranz AM, Mahmud A .
Specialty care access for Medicaid enrollees in expansion states.
Am J Manag Care 2019 Mar;25(3):e83-e87..
Keywords: Access to Care, Community-Based Practice, Healthcare Delivery, Medicaid
Johnston FM, Neiman JH, Parmley LE
Stakeholder perspectives on the use of community health workers to improve palliative care use by African Americans with cancer.
This study focused on the issue of lack of palliative care for African-Americans with cancer. Stakeholder interviews and focus groups were conducted with cancer patients, caregivers, health care administrators, oncologists, and community health workers (CHWs). Participants felt that CHWs could play a central role in bridging patients with their providers, information and resources. They also felt that CHWs should either come from the community, or be familiar with the history, culture, and norms of the communities from which they operate.
AHRQ-funded; HS024736.
Citation: Johnston FM, Neiman JH, Parmley LE .
Stakeholder perspectives on the use of community health workers to improve palliative care use by African Americans with cancer.
J Palliat Med 2019 Mar;22(3):302-06. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2018.0366..
Keywords: Access to Care, Cancer, Healthcare Delivery, Healthcare Utilization, Cultural Competence, Disparities, Palliative Care, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Martinez DA, Zhang H, Bastias M
Prolonged wait time is associated with increased mortality for Chilean waiting list patients with non-prioritized conditions.
This study looked at mortality rates of Chilean patients on waiting lists for non-prioritized medical treatment within their universal healthcare system. There was a statistically significant association between waiting time and mortality for patients observed in the study. The study used data from 987,497 patients at 77 medical centers from 2008 to 2015. Three geographically distant regions were studied and there was a large region-to-region variation in mortality rates.
AHRQ-funded.
Citation: Martinez DA, Zhang H, Bastias M .
Prolonged wait time is associated with increased mortality for Chilean waiting list patients with non-prioritized conditions.
BMC Public Health 2019 Feb 26;19(1):233. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-6526-6..
Keywords: Access to Care, Mortality
Biener AI, Zuvekas SH
AHRQ Author: Zuvekas SH
Do racial and ethnic disparities in health care use vary with health?
Researchers used Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data from 2010-2014 to evaluate health care use between black-white and Hispanic-white adults. They found that there was the widest disparity in health care use in adults in excellent health between Hispanics and whites but the opposite was true for blacks and whites. Differences are attributed to health insurance coverage and access to health care overall.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Biener AI, Zuvekas SH .
Do racial and ethnic disparities in health care use vary with health?
Health Serv Res 2019 Feb;54(1):64-74. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13087..
Keywords: Access to Care, Disparities, Healthcare Utilization, Health Insurance, Health Status, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Ray KN, Demirci JR, Uscher-Pines L
Geographic access to international board-certified lactation consultants in Pennsylvania.
The goals of this study were to assess geographic access to international board-certified lactation consultants in Pennsylvania, to compare access in rural vs. urban counties, and to compare access by county-level breastfeeding initiation rates. Researchers used geographic information systems methodology and a cross-sectional observational design to calculate the proportion of all young children, children in urban and rural counties, children in counties with low, medium, and high breastfeeding initiation rates who lived within specific distances of board-certified lactation consultants in Pennsylvania. Comparisons were made to answer the research goals. While the results indicate that most Pennsylvania children live in proximity to a board-certified lactation consultant, a lower percentage of children in rural counties and in counties with lower breastfeeding rates do.
AHRQ-funded; HS022989.
Citation: Ray KN, Demirci JR, Uscher-Pines L .
Geographic access to international board-certified lactation consultants in Pennsylvania.
J Hum Lact 2019 Feb;35(1):90-99. doi: 10.1177/0890334418768458..
Keywords: Access to Care, Breast Feeding, Newborns/Infants, Rural Health
Lipton BJ, Decker SL, Sommers BD
AHRQ Author: Lipton BJ, Decker SL
The Affordable Care Act appears to have narrowed racial and ethnic disparities in insurance coverage and access to care among young adults.
This study analyzed insurance coverage gains of young adults aged 19 to 25 due to the Affordable Care Act’s 2010 coverage provision and also 2014 Medicaid and Marketplace expansions. There were gains in coverage of 11% for Hispanics, 10.1% for Blacks and 4.6% for Whites.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; HS021291.
Citation: Lipton BJ, Decker SL, Sommers BD .
The Affordable Care Act appears to have narrowed racial and ethnic disparities in insurance coverage and access to care among young adults.
Med Care Res Rev 2019 Feb;76(1):1077558717706575. Epub ahead of print. doi: 10.1177/1077558717706575..
Keywords: Access to Care, Disparities, Health Insurance, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Young Adults
Symer MM, Abelson JS, Yeo L
Barriers to regionalized surgical care: public perspective survey and geospatial analysis.
A cross-sectional telephone survey was performed as part of the Cornell National Social Survey. Participants had an average age of 50 and were 48.9% female. Almost half were unwilling to travel 5 hours or more to get regionalized care. Participants who were aged 70 or more had a decreased willingness to travel a perceived 30 minutes or more to a center. The higher the income, the more willingness to travel increased distances. Major perceived barriers were transportation, life disruption, social support, income levels, poor health and remoteness.
AHRQ-funded; HS000066.
Citation: Symer MM, Abelson JS, Yeo L .
Barriers to regionalized surgical care: public perspective survey and geospatial analysis.
Ann Surg 2019 Jan;269(1):73-78. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000002556..
Keywords: Surgery, Access to Care, Healthcare Delivery
Rivera-Hernandez M, Rahman M, Galarraga O
Preventive healthcare-seeking behavior among poor older adults in Mexico: the impact of Seguro Popular, 2000-2012.
This study examined the effect of the Seguro Popular (SP) program in Mexico on preventive care utilization among low-income and uninsured elder beneficiaries. Results of three rounds of the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey from 2000, 2006, and 2012 was used. The findings show there was no significant effect on the use of preventive services, including screening for diabetes, hypertension, breast cancer and cervical cancer for adults aged 50 to 75 years.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Rivera-Hernandez M, Rahman M, Galarraga O .
Preventive healthcare-seeking behavior among poor older adults in Mexico: the impact of Seguro Popular, 2000-2012.
Salud Publica Mex 2019 Jan-Feb;61(1):46-53. doi: 10.21149/9185..
Keywords: Elderly, Low-Income, Prevention, Healthcare Utilization, Access to Care, Uninsured
Spees LP, Wheeler SB, Varia M
Evaluating the urban-rural paradox: the complicated relationship between distance and the receipt of guideline-concordant care among cervical cancer patients.
A recent study suggests that the distance to reach care may affect urban and rural cancer patients differentially; the authors of this article examined whether or not this urban-rural paradox exists among cervical cancer patients. Patients diagnosed with cervical cancer from 2004 to 2013 were identified via a statewide cancer registry linked to multi-payer insurance claims. 62% of the cervical cancer patients received guideline-concordant care. The association between distance and receipt of care differed by type of treatment. The authors conclude that there is evidence supporting the urban-rural paradox.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Spees LP, Wheeler SB, Varia M .
Evaluating the urban-rural paradox: the complicated relationship between distance and the receipt of guideline-concordant care among cervical cancer patients.
Gynecol Oncol 2019 Jan;152(1):112-18. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2018.11.010.
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Keywords: Access to Care, Cancer: Cervical Cancer, Disparities, Evidence-Based Practice, Rural Health, Urban Health
Anderson VR, Ouyang F, Tu W
Medicaid coverage and continuity for juvenile justice-involved youth.
This retrospective cohort study examined Medicaid coverage and continuity for youth with varying levels of justice system involvement and the impact of a policy change allowing Medicaid suspension, rather than termination. The study highlighted the importance of maximizing opportunities to keep youth enrolled, as gaps in coverage likely affect juveniles' access to physical, mental, and behavioral health care.
AHRQ-funded; HS022681.
Citation: Anderson VR, Ouyang F, Tu W .
Medicaid coverage and continuity for juvenile justice-involved youth.
J Correct Health Care 2019 Jan;25(1):45-54. doi: 10.1177/1078345818820043..
Keywords: Access to Care, Children/Adolescents, Medicaid, Policy, Vulnerable Populations
Sobotka SA, Gaur DS, Goodman DM
Pediatric patients with home mechanical ventilation: the health services landscape.
Children with invasive home mechanical ventilation (HMV) are a growing population with complex health service needs. Single institution studies provide insight into successful program structures and outcomes. In this study, the investigators aimed to assess health service structures, providers, and programs caring for this population throughout the U.S., and to understand barriers to high-quality care.
AHRQ-funded; HS023007.
Citation: Sobotka SA, Gaur DS, Goodman DM .
Pediatric patients with home mechanical ventilation: the health services landscape.
Pediatr Pulmonol 2019 Jan;54(1):40-46. doi: 10.1002/ppul.24196..
Keywords: Access to Care, Children/Adolescents, Healthcare Delivery, Home Healthcare, Children/Adolescents