Compared With Other Countries, Women In The US Are More Likely Than Men To Forgo Medicines Because Of Cost

Use of Labor Neuraxial Analgesia for Vaginal Delivery and Severe Maternal Morbidity

Importance

Addressing severe maternal morbidity (SMM) is a public health priority in the US. Use of labor neuraxial analgesia for vaginal delivery is suggested to reduce the risk of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), the leading cause of preventable severe maternal morbidity.

Objective

To assess the association between the use of labor neuraxial analgesia for vaginal delivery and SMM.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In this population-based cross-sectional study, women aged 15 to 49 years undergoing their first vaginal delivery were included. Data were taken from hospital discharge records from New York between January 2010 and December 2017. Data were analyzed from November 2020 to November 2021.

Exposures

Neuraxial analgesia (ie, epidural or combined spinal-epidural) vs no neuraxial analgesia.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was SMM, as defined by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the secondary outcome was PPH. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% CIs of SMM associated with neuraxial analgesia were estimated using the inverse propensity score-weighting method and stratified according to race and ethnicity (non-Hispanic White vs racial and ethnic minority women, including non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and other race and ethnicity) and to the comorbidity index for obstetric patients (low-risk vs high-risk women). The proportion of the association of neuraxial analgesia with the risk of SMM mediated through PPH was estimated using mediation analysis.

Results

Of 575 524 included women, the mean (SD) age was 28 (6) years, and 46 065 (8.0%) were non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander, 88 577 (15.4%) were non-Hispanic Black, 104 866 (18.2%) were Hispanic, 258 276 (44.9%) were non-Hispanic White, and 74 534 (13.0%) were other race and ethnicity. A total of 400 346 women (69.6%) were in the low-risk group and 175 178 (30.4%) in the high-risk group, and 272 921 women (47.4%) received neuraxial analgesia. SMM occurred in 7712 women (1.3%), of which 2748 (35.6%) had PPH. Before weighting, the incidence of SMM was 1.3% (3486 of 272 291) with neuraxial analgesia compared with 1.4% (4226 of 302 603) without neuraxial analgesia (risk difference, -0.12 per 100; 95% CI, -0.17 to -0.07). After weighting, the aOR of SMM associated with neuraxial analgesia was 0.86 (95% CI, 0.82-0.90). Decreased risk of SMM associated with neuraxial analgesia was similar between non-Hispanic White women and racial and ethnic minority women and between low-risk and high-risk women. More than one-fifth (21%; 95% CI, 14-28) of the observed association of neuraxial analgesia with the risk of SMM was mediated through the decreased risk of PPH.

Conclusions and Relevance

Findings from this study suggest that use of neuraxial analgesia for vaginal delivery is associated with a 14% decrease in the risk of SMM. Increasing access to and utilization of labor neuraxial analgesia may contribute to improving maternal health outcomes.

Risk and Protective Factors for Cost-Related Nonadherence Among Middle East and North African (MENA) Adults

OBJECTIVE

Cost-related nonadherence to health maintenance behaviors is common in the general population, yet we know little about these behaviors in Middle East and North African (MENA) Americans. We examined cost-related nonadherence (CRN) in the MENA community in SE Michigan to determine demographic predictors, and risk and protective factors.

DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

We used data from a cross-sectional convenience sample of MENA adults (N=398) conducted May-September 2019 to identify relevant demographic predictors, as well as the association between individual health, social, and clinical factors and the likelihood of reporting CRN.

METHODS AND MEASURES

CRN was defined by whether respondents reported any of the following: that they took less medicine, skipped doses, or delayed getting a prescription filled. Other factors included patient/provider communication and racial concordance, mental health distress, food insecurity and insurance status. We used multivariable logistic regression models to determine association of these health and social factors with CRN.

RESULTS

Those with highest incomes were least likely to report CRN. Participants with private insurance and with no coverage were more likely to report CRN compared with those with Medicaid coverage. Risk factors for CRN included food insecurity and mental health distress, though strong patient/provider communication was protective of CRN.

DISCUSSION

The risk factors for CRN in the MENA community align with risk factors in the general population. As provider communication is protective of CRN, interventions focused on improving patient/provider communication may serve as a way to protect against financially motivated medication nonadherence.

Navigating the high costs of cancer care: opportunities for patient engagement

Over the past decade, the financial burden of cancer care on patients and their families has garnered increased attention. Many of the potential solutions have focused on system-level interventions such as adopting value-based payment models and negotiating drug prices; less consideration has been given to actions at the patient level to address cancer care costs. We argue that it is imperative to develop and support patient-level strategies that engage patients and consider their preferences, values and individual circumstances. Opportunities to meet these aims and improve the economic experience of patients in oncology are discussed, including: shared decision-making and communication, financial navigation and treatment planning, digital technology and alternative care pathways, and value-based insurance design.