Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Diabetes Care Quality among Women of Reproductive Age in an Integrated Delivery System

Health-Care Utilization and Outcomes in Young Adults With Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

Young adulthood can be a challenging time for individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) as they experience increasing independence and life transitions, which can make it difficult to engage in DM self care. Compared to older adults, young adults are more likely to have higher glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). They also often have lower adherence to standards of care in DM, and higher utilization of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for diabetic ketoacidosis. This review describes health-care utilization and explores factors that may contribute to high HbA1c among young adults with DM. In addition, it discusses the unique health-care needs of young adults with DM, examines the role of technology in their DM care, and analyzes the effects of social determinants of health on their health-care utilization.

Training the next generation of delivery science researchers: 10-year experience of a post-doctoral research fellowship program within an integrated care system

Introduction

Learning health systems require a workforce of researchers trained in the methods of identifying and overcoming barriers to effective, evidence-based care. Most existing postdoctoral training programs, such as NIH-funded postdoctoral T32 awards, support basic and epidemiological science with very limited focus on rigorous delivery science methods for improving care. In this report, we present the 10-year experience of developing and implementing a Delivery Science postdoctoral fellowship embedded within an integrated health care delivery system.

Methods

In 2012, the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research designed and implemented a 2-year postdoctoral Delivery Science Fellowship research training program to foster research expertise in identifying and addressing barriers to evidence-based care within health care delivery systems.

Results

Since 2014, 20 fellows have completed the program. Ten fellows had PhD-level scientific training, and 10 fellows had clinical doctorates (eg, MD, RN/PhD, PharmD). Fellowship alumni have graduated to faculty research positions at academic institutions (9), and research or clinical organizations (4). Seven alumni now hold positions in Kaiser Permanente's clinical operations or medical group (7).

Conclusions

This delivery science fellowship program has succeeded in training graduates to address delivery science problems from both research and operational perspectives. In the next 10 years, additional goals of the program will be to expand its reach (eg, by developing joint research training models in collaboration with clinical fellowships) and strengthen mechanisms to support transition from fellowship to the workforce, especially for researchers from underrepresented groups.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Patient Experience and Diabetes Self-Management Among Nonpregnant Women of Childbearing Age With Diabetes in the United States: A Scoping Review, 1990 to 2020

OBJECTIVE

This scoping review aimed to identify any empirical literature describing racial and ethnic disparities in patient experience and diabetes self-management among nonpregnant women (aged 18-49 years) of childbearing age with diabetes in the United States.

METHODS

This scoping review followed the Arksey and O'Malley methodological framework. We used a comprehensive search strategy to identify articles published from 1990 to 2021 in PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and Proquest Digital Dissertation and Theses. Two independent reviewers used Covidence, a web-based review management software, to screen articles by title and abstract, and then by full-text articles based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. A third reviewer arbitrated any disagreements.

RESULTS

Of the original 6,115 peer-reviewed studies identified, eight fit the eligibility criteria. In research on nonpregnant women of childbearing age in the United States, four studies investigated racial and ethnic disparities in patient experience, and seven of the eight eligible studies investigated racial and ethnic disparities in diabetes self-management outcomes. No eligible studies examining racial and ethnic variations in the association between patient experience and diabetes self-management were found.

CONCLUSIONS

This scoping review identified limited available studies examining racial and ethnic disparities in patient experience and diabetes self-management among nonpregnant women of childbearing age in the United States. Future studies should examine these relationships to fill the gap in research. These findings are relevant as the prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide and racially/ethnically minoritized women are disproportionately affected.

Understanding the influence of ethnicity on adherence to antidiabetic medication: Meta-ethnography and systematic review

INTRODUCTION

A high prevalence of diabetes and diabetes-related complications in people from minority ethnic communities in high income countries is of significant concern. Several studies have indicated low adherence rates to antidiabetic medication in ethnic minority groups. Poor adherence to antidiabetic medication leads to a higher risk of complications and potential mortality. This review aims to qualitatively explore the barriers to and facilitators of adherence to antidiabetic medication among ethnic minority groups in high-income countries.

METHODS

A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Global Health databases for qualitative studies exploring the barriers to or facilitators of adherence to antidiabetic medication in minority ethnic groups was conducted from database inception to March 2023 (PROSPERO CRD42022320681). A quality assessment of the included studies was conducted using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool. Key concepts and themes from relevant studies were synthesised using a meta-ethnographic approach. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research (GRADE-CERQual) approach was used to assess the Confidence in the review findings.

RESULT

Of 13,994 citations screened, 21 studies that included primary qualitative studies were selected, each of which involved people from minority ethnic communities from eight high income countries. This qualitative evidence synthesis has identified three overarching themes around the barriers to and facilitators of adherence to antidiabetic medication among ethnic minority groups.: 1) cultural underpinnings, 2) communication and building relationships, and 3) managing diabetes during visiting home countries. Based on the GRADE-CERQual assessment, we had mainly moderate- and high-confidence findings.

CONCLUSION

Multiple barriers and facilitators of adherence to antidiabetic medication among people from minority ethnic communities in high-income countries have been identified. A medication adherence intervention focusing on identified barriers to adherence to antidiabetic medication in these communities may help in improving diabetes outcomes in these groups.

The Influence of Racial/Ethnic and Gender Concordance on Care Among Non-Pregnant Women of Childbearing Age with Diabetes Mellitus: an Analysis of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2010-2019

INTRODUCTION

This study examined associations between patient-provider race/ethnicity concordance and gender concordance on overall healthcare ratings, self-efficacy, and diabetes care monitoring in non-pregnant women of childbearing age with diabetes mellitus before and after adjusting for sociodemographic factors.

METHODS

We analyzed longitudinal data from the 2010-2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The sample was limited to non-pregnant women of childbearing age (18-45 years) diagnosed with diabetes (unweighted n = 327; weighted n = 566,504). Bivariate analysis, logistic regression, and latent variable modeling were performed.

RESULTS

Few racially minoritized women reported racial/ethnic and gender concordance with their healthcare provider. Only 2.9% of Hispanic women reported having a Hispanic provider and 12.1% of non-Hispanic Black women reported seeing a non-Hispanic Black provider compared to 81.1% of non-Hispanic White women who reported seeing a non-Hispanic White provider (p < .0001). Among Hispanic women, 15.3% reported seeing a female provider compared to 25.2% of non-Hispanic Black and 53.5% of non-Hispanic White women. Patient-provider race/ethnicity and gender concordance were not statistically significantly associated with overall healthcare ratings, self-efficacy, or diabetes care monitoring.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed a large disparity in race/ethnicity and gender concordance among minority women of reproductive age with diabetes compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts. There is a need for larger, more robust studies to examine the influence of provider and other healthcare characteristics on diabetes-related outcomes in this understudied population.

Patient Experience with Their Health Care Provider Among Non-Pregnant Women of Childbearing Age with Diabetes Mellitus by Race and Ethnicity in the United States

Objectives

The study objective was to investigate differences in patient experiences with health care providers among non-pregnant women of childbearing age with diabetes mellitus (DM) by race/ethnicity.

Design

This study used cross-sectional data from the 2012-2018 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The sample was limited to women of childbearing age (18-45 years) who have ever been told they had diabetes (n = 763; weighted n = 903,670). The key independent variable was race/ethnicity. The variables of interest included patient experiences with health care in the past 12 months: patient-provider communication (PPC); patient-provider racial/ethnic concordance; patient-provider gender concordance; and satisfaction.

Results

After adjusting for age, marital status, education, poverty level, health insurance, and perceived health status, non-Hispanic (NH) Black women had lower odds (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.04; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.01-0.11) of receiving care from a health care provider of the same race compared with NH white women. Similar results were found among Hispanic and NH women of other or multiple races. Hispanic women had lower odds (aOR = 0.18; 95% CI = 0.06-0.50) of seeing a health care provider of the same race/ethnicity compared with NH white women in adjusted models. There were no statistically significant differences in PPC, patient-provider gender concordance, and satisfaction with their health care provider among Hispanic, NH Black, or NH women of other or multiple races in comparison to NH White women.

Conclusion

There is a need to improve PPC quality and satisfaction in this patient population. Patient-provider racial/ethnic discordance among women of color with DM is concerning given the existing diabetes-related disparities. More research on women with DM is needed to inform and improve patient experience and health outcomes.

Ethnic disparities in medication adherence? A systematic review examining the association between ethnicity and antidiabetic medication adherence

OBJECTIVES

Adherence to prescribed medication is an essential component of diabetes management to obtain optimal outcomes. Understanding the relationship between medication adherence and ethnicity is key to optimising treatment for all people with different chronic illnesses, including those with diabetes. The aim of this review is to examine whether the adherence to antidiabetic medications differed by ethnicity among people with diabetes.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted of studies reporting adherence to antidiabetic medication amongst people from different ethnic groups. MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched from their inception to June 2022 for quantitative studies with a specific focus on studies assessing adherence to antidiabetic medications (PROSPERO: CRD42021278392). The Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist and a second checklist designed for studies using retrospective databases were used to assess study quality. A narrative synthesis approach was used to summarize the results based on the medication adherence measures.

RESULTS

Of 17,410 citations screened, 41 studies that included observational retrospective database research and cross-sectional studies were selected, each of which involved diverse ethnic groups from different settings. This review identified a difference in the adherence to antidiabetic medications by ethnicity in 38 studies, despite adjustment for several confounding variables that may otherwise explain these differences.

CONCLUSION

This review revealed that adherence to antidiabetic medication differed by ethnicity. Further research is needed to explore the ethnicity-related factors that may provide an explanation for these disparities.

Study Protocol: A Mixed-Methods Study for Understanding Racial Disparities in COVID-19-Related Complications

Background

In the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the disproportionate and long-standing health disparities experienced by Black communities. Although it is acknowledged that social determinants of health (SDOH) rather than biological factors likely contribute to this disparity, few studies using rigorous analytic approaches in large, information-rich community-based data sets are dedicated to understanding the underlying drivers of these racial disparities.

Objective

The overall aim of our study is to elucidate the mechanisms by which racial disparities in severe COVID-19 outcomes arise, using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Methods

In this protocol, we outline a convergent parallel mixed methods approach to identifying, quantifying, and contextualizing factors that contribute to the dramatic disparity in COVID-19 severity (ie, hospitalization, mortality) in Black versus white COVID-19 patients within the integrated health care system of Kaiser Permanente Georgia (KPGA). Toward this end, we will generate two quantitative cohorts of KPGA members with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis between January 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021: (1) an electronic medical record (EMR) cohort including routinely captured data on diagnoses, medications, and laboratory values, and a subset of patients hospitalized at Emory Healthcare to capture additional in-hospital data; and (2) a survey cohort, where participants will answer a range of questions related to demographics (eg, race, education), usual health behaviors (eg, physical activity, smoking), impact of COVID-19 (eg, job loss, caregiving responsibilities), and medical mistrust. Key outcomes of interest for these two cohorts include hospitalization, mortality, intensive care unit admission, hospital readmission, and long COVID-19. Finally, we will conduct qualitative semistructured interviews to capture perceptions of and experiences of being hospitalized with COVID-19 as well as related interactions with KPGA health care providers. We will analyze and interpret the quantitative and qualitative data separately, and then integrate the qualitative and quantitative findings using a triangulation design approach.

Results

This study has been funded by a Woodruff Health Sciences grant from December 2020 to December 2022. As of August 31, 2022, 31,500 KPGA members diagnosed with COVID-19 have been included in the EMR cohort, including 3028 who were hospitalized at Emory Healthcare, and 482 KPGA members completed the survey. In addition, 20 KPGA members (10 Black and 10 white) have been interviewed about their experiences navigating care with COVID-19. Quantitative and qualitative data cleaning and coding have been completed. Data analysis is underway with results anticipated to be published in December 2022.

Conclusions

Results from this mixed methods pilot study in a diverse integrated care setting in the southeastern United States will provide insights into the mechanisms underpinning racial disparities in COVID-19 complications. The quantitative and qualitative data will provide important context to generate hypotheses around the mechanisms for racial disparities in COVID-19, and may help to inform the development of multilevel strategies to reduce the burden of racial disparities in COVID-19 and its ongoing sequelae. Incorporating contextual information, elucidated from qualitative interviews, will increase the efficacy, adoption, and sustainability of such strategies.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

RR1-10.2196/38914

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare Rating, Diabetes Self-efficacy, and Diabetes Management Among Non-pregnant Women of Childbearing Age: Does Socioeconomic Status Matter?

OBJECTIVE

Patient perceptions of healthcare ratings, diabetes self-efficacy, and diabetes management play a role in diabetes-related outcomes, particularly among women of childbearing age. Guided by a modified Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior framework, the objective was to compare differences in perceptions of health care ratings, diabetes self-efficacy, and diabetes management among non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White women of childbearing age.

METHODS

The sample comprised 7 years (2012-2018) of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data. The sample was limited to women of childbearing age (18-45 years) who have ever been told they had diabetes (n = 691; weighted n = 932,426). Dependent variables were health care rating, diabetes self-efficacy, and diabetes care management. The key independent variable was race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, non-Hispanic White). We adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and perceived health status using multiple linear and multivariable logistic regressions.

RESULTS

Non-Hispanic Black women (41.6%) self-reported their health status as fair or poor (44.9%) compared to non-Hispanic White (33.3%) and Hispanic (37.6%). In adjusted models, non-Hispanic Black women had 46% lower odds (95% CI = 0.31, 0.94) of reporting high health care ratings compared to non-Hispanic White women. Non-Hispanic Black women had 43% lower odds (95% CI = 0.35, 0.95) and Hispanic women had 47% lower odds (95% CI = 0.34, 0.80) of reporting higher levels of diabetes care management than non-Hispanic White women.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides important information regarding diabetes health care ratings, self-efficacy, and self-management behaviors. Because of the increasing prevalence of diabetes among women of childbearing age, it is important to improve health care particularly for racial/ethnic minority women with diabetes.

Sex differences in glycemic measures, complications, discharge disposition, and postdischarge emergency room visits and readmission among non-critically ill, hospitalized patients with diabetes

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this prospective observational cohort study was to examine sex differences in glycemic measures, diabetes-related complications, and rates of postdischarge emergency room (ER) visits and hospital readmissions in non-critically ill, hospitalized patients with diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Demographic data including age, body mass index, race, blood pressure, reason for admission, diabetes medications at admission and discharge, diabetes-related complications, laboratory data (hematocrit, creatinine, hemoglobin A1c, point-of-care blood glucose measures), length of stay (LOS), and discharge disposition were collected. Patients were followed for 90 days following hospital discharge to obtain information regarding ER visits and readmissions.

RESULTS

120 men and 100 women consented to participate in this study. There were no sex differences in patient demographics, diabetes duration or complications, or LOS. No differences were observed in the percentage of men and women with an ER visit or hospital readmission within 30 (39% vs 33%, p=0.40) or 90 (60% vs 49%, p=0.12) days of hospital discharge. More men than women experienced hypoglycemia prior to discharge (18% vs 8%, p=0.026). More women were discharged to skilled nursing facilities (p=0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that men and women hospitalized with an underlying diagnosis of diabetes have similar preadmission glycemic measures, diabetes duration, and prevalence of diabetes complications. More men experienced hypoglycemia prior to discharge. Women were less likely to be discharged to home. Approximately 50% of men and women had ER visits or readmissions within 90 days of hospital discharge.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT03279627.

The Impact of Type 2 Diabetes on Women's Health and Well-being During Their Reproductive Years: A Mixed-methods Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

The incidence of Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) among younger women now accounts for 40% of females with T2DM. Women of reproductive age with T2DM have additional health considerations and their needs may differ from older populations.

OBJECTIVES

The aims were (1) to identify the health issues encountered by women aged 16-45 years living with T2DM; (2) to determine the modifiable risk factors associated with living with diabetes; (3) to specify ideas for interventions to meet age and gender-specific diabetes-related healthcare needs.

METHODS

A systematic search was performed in the following databases; MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Maternity and Infant Care. Databases were searched without time and study design limits. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. Data were narratively synthesised due to mixed methods evidence included.

RESULTS

A total of 32 papers were included in the review from which six domains were identified from the synthesis: (1) diabetes related modifiable risk factors: blood glucose, cardiovascular risk, neuropathy/nephropathy/retinopathy, diabetes self-management barriers (2) reproductive health: diabetes care before pregnancy, pre-pregnancy care barriers and expectations of women, contraceptive use (3) psychosocial wellbeing: depression symptoms and diabetes distress, perception of T2DM, emotional concerns about pregnancy (4) sexual function; (5) menopause; (6) sociocultural factors: social support, cultural norms.

CONCLUSION

This review highlighted specific health issues affecting women of reproductive age with T2DM and which represent an important focus for health services research and health care delivery. Future research needs to address identified health domains to improve women's health and well-being living with T2DM.