Identifying disparities in patient-centered care experiences between non-Latino white and black men: results from the 2008-2016 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

More patient-centered care, better healthcare: the association between patient-centered care and healthcare outcomes in inpatients

Objective

The objective of this study is to explore the association between patient-centered care (PCC) and inpatient healthcare outcomes, including self-reported physical and mental health status, subjective necessity of hospitalization, and physician-induced demand behaviors.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess patient-centered care among inpatients in comprehensive hospitals through QR codes after discharge from September 2021 to December 2021 and had 5,222 respondents in Jiayuguan, Gansu. The questionnaire included a translated 6-item version of the PCC questionnaire, physician-induced behaviors, and patients' sociodemographic characteristics including gender, household registration, age, and income. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess whether PCC promoted self-reported health, the subjective necessity of hospitalization, and decreased physician-induced demand. The interactions between PCC and household registration were implemented to assess the effect of the difference between adequate and inadequate healthcare resources.

Results

PCC promoted the patient's self-reported physical (OR = 4.154, p < 0.001) and mental health (OR = 5.642, p < 0.001) and subjective necessity of hospitalization (OR = 6.160, p < 0.001). Meanwhile, PCC reduced physician-induced demand in advising to buy medicines outside (OR = 0.415, p < 0.001), paying at the outpatient clinic (OR =0.349, p < 0.001), issuing unnecessary or repeated prescriptions and medical tests (OR = 0.320, p < 0.001), and requiring discharge and readmitting (OR = 0.389, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

By improving health outcomes for inpatients and reducing the risk of physician-induced demand, PCC can benefit both patients and health insurance systems. Therefore, PCC should be implemented in healthcare settings.

The Medical Home and Mental Health Services in Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) commonly experience mental health concerns, but conditions are often not identified or treated within primary care. Mental health care is often not a primary focus of pediatric primary care, but the medical home model has potential to address these concerns more adequately. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the medical home and use of mental health services in CYSHCN.

METHODS

Data came from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey years 2015-2017, a nationally representative survey of health and healthcare in US families. The study included CYSHCN ages 6-17. We compared the use of mental health services, expenditures, and psychotropic medications across CYSHCN with and without a medical home using multivariable regression.

RESULTS

45% of CYSHCN received care within a medical home. CYSHCN with and without a medical home reported similar frequency of office-based mental health visits (21.2% versus 25.2%), average expenditures for visits ($147 versus $128), and psychotropic medications (11.9% versus 15.1%). Medical home status was not associated with office-based mental health visits, use of psychotropic medications, or cost for either.

CONCLUSIONS

CYSHCN with mental health care needs face barriers to satisfactory care. Creating better connections between primary and mental health care could help to ameliorate this problem. Findings suggest the medical home, a more comprehensive primary care model, may not address mental health care needs of CYSHCN.

Evaluation of health behaviors and overall quality of life in younger adult African American cancer survivors

BACKGROUND

Epidemiological studies of cancer survivors have predominantly focused on non-Hispanic White, elderly patients, despite the observation that African Americans have higher rates of mortality. Therefore, we characterized cancer survivorship in younger African American survivors using the Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors (ROCS) study to assess health behaviors and quality of life.

METHODS

Five hundred and seventeen patients diagnosed with any cancer between the ages of 20-49 (mean age: 42 years; SD: 6.7 years) completed a survey to identify important clinical, behavioral, and sociodemographic characteristics, measures of health literacy, and experiences of discrimination. Quality of life outcomes were evaluated in patients using FACT-G, FACT-Cog, and PROMIS® Anxiety and Depression scales. Stepwise linear and logistic regression were used to assess the association between quality of life measures and participant characteristics.

RESULTS

The mean FACT-G score was 74.1 (SD: 21.3), while the FACT-Cog was 55.1 (SD: 17.1) (FACT-G range 0-108 with higher scores indicating better function; elderly cancer patient mean: 82.2; FACT-Cog 18-item range 0-72 points with higher scores indicating better perceived cognitive functioning; scores <54 indicating cognitive impairment). In addition, 27.1% and 21.6% of patients had a score indicative of moderate or severe anxiety and depression, respectively. Perceived discrimination and the number of discriminatory events were significantly associated with reductions in three of the four quality of life measures. Health literacy was positively associated with all four health measures, while total comorbidity count was negatively associated with three of the four measures.

CONCLUSION

Younger adult African American cancer survivors who report experiencing discrimination and suffer from multiple comorbid conditions have poorer mental and overall health. Understanding the unique clinical and socioeconomic stressors that influence this patient population is essential for reducing health disparities and improving long-term survivorship.

Community Perceptions of Health Equity: A Qualitative Study

INTRODUCTION

Notable inequities in patient experiences exist in the healthcare system. Communities with a large concentration of blacks and immigrants are often marginalized rather than centralized in the healthcare system. These inequities may fuel distrust and exacerbate adverse outcomes, thereby widening the health gap. Addressing differences in patients' experiences of care is paramount for reducing health inequities.

METHODS

In this qualitative study, we used a purposive sampling method to recruit 62 participants to conduct 10 FGs (44 participants total) and 18 key informant interviews with stakeholders across Central Brooklyn.

RESULTS

The data revealed three primary themes: Trust, Discrimination, and Social Determinants of Health (SDOHs). Each theme comprised subthemes as follows: For Trust, the subthemes included (1) confidence in the healthcare professional, (2) provider empathy, and (3) active participation in healthcare decisions. Regarding Discrimination, the subthemes involved (1) racism and identity, as well as (2) stigma related to diagnosis, disease state, and pain management. Lastly, for Social Determinants of Health, the key subtheme was the acknowledgment by providers that patients encounter competing priorities acting as barriers to care, such as housing instability and food insecurity. For the first theme, participants' interactions with the healthcare system were prompted by a necessity for medical attention, and not by trust. The participants reported that experiences of discrimination resulting from identity and stigma associated with diagnosis, disease state, and pain management amplified the disconnect between the community, the patients, and the healthcare system. This also exacerbated the poor healthcare experiences suffered by many people of color. For SDOHs, the participants identified housing, food security, and other various social factors that may undermine the effectiveness of the healthcare that patients receive.

CONCLUSIONS

Improvements in the health system, based on feedback from patients of color regarding their unique care experiences, are important initiatives in combating inequities in healthcare.

Building Research Initiatives by Developing Group Effort (BRIDGE): Patient-Partners in Aphasia Research

Researcher-initiated research often has little or no input from the groups who will be affected by the results of the research. The aim of this project was to describe practices of embracing patient-partners (i.e., individuals with aphasia and spouses/family members) in research. Six webinars were developed for both researchers and patient-partners that were required prior to participating in a joint conference that focused on collaborative research teams. The conference was designed based on an appreciative inquiry approach. Including patient-partners into research priorities and planning has been accomplished across various health domains in the United States, but this was the first organized national effort, in the United States, to support the inclusion of people with aphasia and their families as active partners in the research process. Consequently, it is hoped that future aphasia researchers also include patient-partner teams into their research process for more ecologically valid outcomes.