Disparities in utilization of outpatient surgical care among children
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Read the article on pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗Article · Feb 2022 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
Study of 10,162 pediatric surgery patients reveals significant disparities in outpatient care utilization, with children from socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods, Black children, and publicly insured patients showing 2-3 times higher odds of missing clinic appointments. These access barriers persist even for critical postoperative visits, suggesting systemic inequities that may contribute to disparate surgical outcomes in vulnerable pediatric populations.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.
Background: The purpose of this study was to quantify disparities in the utilization of outpatient pediatric surgical care and to examine the extent to which neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with access to care among children.
Methods: Clinic "no-shows" were examined among children scheduled from 2017 to 2019 at seven pediatric surgery clinics associated with a tertiary care children's hospital. The association between Area Deprivation Index, a neighborhood-level measure of socioeconomic disadvantage, and other patient factors with clinic no-shows was examined using multivariable logistic regression models. Difficulties in accessing postoperative care in particular were explored in a subgroup analysis of postoperative (within 90 days) clinic visits after appendectomy or inguinal/umbilical hernia repairs.
Results: Among 10,162 patients, 16% had at least 1 no-show for a clinic appointment. Area Deprivation Index (most deprived decile adjusted odds ratio 3.17, 95% confidence interval 2.20-4.58, P < .001), Black race (adjusted odds ratio 3.30, 95% confidence interval 2.70-4.00, P < .001), and public insurance (adjusted odds ratio 2.75, 95% confidence interval 2.38-3.31, P < .001) were associated with having at least 1 no-show. Similar associations were identified among 2,399 children scheduled for postoperative clinic visits after undergoing appendectomy or inguinal/umbilical hernia repair, among whom 20% were a no-show.
Conclusion: Race, insurance type, and neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage are associated with disparities in utilization of outpatient pediatric surgical care. Challenges accessing routine outpatient care among disadvantaged children may be one mechanism through which disparate outcomes result among children requiring surgical care.
DOI: 10.1016/j.surg.2021.05.045