Article
Psychiatry
Meghan R. Enslow, Hanga C. Galfalvy, Sumra Sajid, Rachael S. Pember, J. John Mann, Michael F. Grunebaum
Summary: This study compared the time from the first DSM4 major depressive episode (MDE) until treatment in the community across different racial/ethnic groups. The results showed that non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic (any race) participants had lower rates of antidepressant medication and psychotherapy, and longer delays to antidepressant medication compared to non-Hispanic White participants. These findings underscore the importance of reducing these disparities.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Kengo Inagaki, Chad Blackshear, Paul A. Burns, Charlotte Hobbs
Summary: This study found significant differences in the risk of bronchiolitis hospitalization among infants of different races/ethnicities in New York State, with Hispanic and Black infants having the highest rates of hospitalization, while Asian infants had a lower risk. Further research and culturally appropriate public health interventions are needed to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities in bronchiolitis.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Kristina E. Mercado, Nora M. Badiner, Canty Wang, Laura Denham, Juli J. Unternaehrer, Linda J. Hong, Yevgeniya J. Ioffe
Summary: Carcinosarcoma is a rare and aggressive gynecologic cancer that mainly originates from the uterus, accounting for less than 5% of all uterine malignancies. In this retrospective study, the majority of patients presented with advanced-stage disease, and minority patients were more likely to have advanced-stage disease. Surgical resection followed by chemotherapy was the common treatment approach, with a median progression-free survival of approximately 7.5 months.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Provat K. Saha, Albert A. Presto, Steve Hankey, Julian D. Marshall, Allen L. Robinson
Summary: Studies have shown that racial-ethnic minorities in the United States are exposed to higher levels of ultrafine particles (UFP) than the national average, especially in densely populated metropolitan areas. These disparities are mainly driven by structural factors and cannot be solely explained by differences in income.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Ganesh M. M. Babulal, Yiqi Zhu, Jean-Francois Trani
Summary: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are associated with the progression to cognitive impairment, and the risk varies among different ethnoracial groups. This study used data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) to analyze the association between 12 NPS models and cognitive impairment progression. Results showed that the risk differed among different racial and ethnic groups.
ALZHEIMERS & DEMENTIA
(2023)
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Jonathan Kopel, Ujala Sehar, Moumita Choudhury, P. Hemachandra Reddy
Summary: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias (ADRD) are highly prevalent in African Americans (AA) and are caused by multiple factors. Multiple cellular changes, such as synaptic damage, inflammatory responses, hormonal imbalance, mitochondrial abnormalities, and neuronal loss, contribute to AD and ADRD. Racial disparities in healthcare and the increased susceptibility of AA to AD highlight the importance of understanding the experiences of AA caregivers.
Article
Oncology
Dany Habr, Roxanne Ferdinand
Summary: Racial/ethnic minority groups are disproportionately impacted by cancer but are underrepresented in clinical trials. Strategies are needed to ensure diversity in trials and properly interpret risk/benefit of emerging therapies.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Justina F. Avila, Miguel Arce Renteria, Richard N. Jones, Jet M. J. Vonk, Indira Turney, Ketlyne Sol, Dominika Seblova, Franchesca Arias, Tanisha Hill-Jarrett, Shellie-Anne Levy, Oanh Meyer, Annie M. Racine, Sarah E. Tom, Rebecca J. Melrose, Kacie Deters, Luis D. Medina, Carmen Carrion, Mirella Diaz-Santos, DeAnnah R. Byrd, Anthony Chesebro, Juliet Colon, Kay C. Igwe, Benjamin Maas, Adam M. Brickman, Nicole Schupf, Richard Mayeux, Jennifer J. Manly
Summary: The study suggests that educational attainment has a positive impact on cognitive reserve for Whites, attenuating the negative effects of certain brain integrity indicators on memory and language abilities. However, this impact is not significant for Blacks and Hispanics.
ALZHEIMERS & DEMENTIA
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Guvenc Kockaya, Gulpembe Oguzhan, Selin Okcun, Mustafa Kurnaz
Summary: This study aimed to determine the out-of-pocket health expenditures of households in Turkey where individuals with rare diseases are residing. A total of 439 participants were included in the analysis. Special nutrition was found to be the highest expenditure group and emergency departments were the lowest expenditure group.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Chee Hui Liew, Fatiha Hana Shabaruddin, Maznah Dahlui
Summary: This study estimated the economic burden on gynaecological cancer patients and their households, showing the out-of-pocket expenditure, catastrophic health expenditure (CHE), and poverty impact. The study found that low-income households and patients receiving chemotherapy were more likely to face catastrophic health expenditure.
Article
Oncology
Amanda L. Nash, Samantha M. Thomas, Suniti N. Nimbkar, Tina J. Hieken, Kandice K. Ludwig, Lisa K. Jacobs, Megan E. Miller, Kristalyn K. Gallagher, Jasmine Wong, Heather B. Neuman, Jennifer Tseng, Taryn E. Hassinger, Tari A. King, E. Shelley Hwang, James W. Jakub, Laura H. Rosenberger
Summary: This study explores racial-ethnic differences in a large US cohort of women with phyllodes tumors (PT) and finds that age, tumor size, and subtype have small differences. However, there are no differences in recurrence-free survival according to race-ethnicity.
JOURNAL OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jialing Jiang, Christopher M. Warren, Audrey Brewer, Gary Soffer, Ruchi S. Gupta
Summary: This survey study aimed to estimate the national distribution of food allergies across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups in the US. The results showed that the prevalence of food allergies was highest among Asian, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic Black individuals compared with non-Hispanic White individuals. The study suggests further assessment of socioeconomic factors and corresponding environmental exposures to better understand the causes of food allergy and reduce disparities in outcomes.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Melkamu Alemayehu, Banchlay Addis, Tsega Hagos
Summary: This study aimed to assess the out-of-pocket health expenditure and associated factors among adult patients with hypertension in Debre-Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. The results showed that the out-of-pocket health expenditure was high among adult patients with hypertension and was significantly associated with sex, wealth status, distance from hospital, comorbidity, health insurance, and number of visits. It is recommended that the Ministry of Health, regional health bureaus, and other stakeholders strengthen early detection and prevention strategies for comorbidities in hypertensive patients, promote health insurance coverage, and provide better medication subsidies for the poor.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Surgery
Jennie Meier, Audrey Stevens, Miles Berger, Timothy P. Hogan, Joan Reisch, C. Munro Cullum, Simon C. Lee, Celette Sugg Skinner, Herbert Zeh, Cynthia J. Brown, Courtney J. Balentine
Summary: The study found that African American and Hispanic patients were less likely to receive local anesthesia for inguinal hernia repair compared to Caucasian patients, despite the potential benefits of local anesthesia for enhanced recovery and fewer postoperative complications. Addressing this disparity requires further investigation into the factors influencing the choice of anesthesia modality for hernia repair.
JOURNAL OF SURGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kamal Gholipour, Sama Behpaie, Shabnam Iezadi, Akbar Ghiasi, Jafar Sadegh Tabrizi
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the costs of hospital care for patients with COVID-19 and the amount of out-of-pocket payments. The results showed that COVID-19 disease imposed a high cost of hospitalization, mainly due to the cost of hospital beds/day of routine services. The study also highlighted the negative impact of using different methods for cost calculation on the comparability of studies.
Editorial Material
Health Care Sciences & Services
Sungchul Park, Brent A. Langellier, David J. Meyers
JOURNAL OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Sungchul Park, Rachel M. Werner, Norma B. Coe
Summary: Differences in enrollment in high-rated MA plans by race and ethnicity may be explained by limited access and not by individual characteristics or enrollment decisions.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Sungchul Park, Rishi K. Wadhera, Jeah Jung
Summary: Medicare eligibility and enrollment have significant effects on the use of certain medical services, but not on the majority of services. Policymakers should consider improving the Medicare program to enhance the value of care provided.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Sungchul Park
Summary: The study examines the effects of Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment on preventive care use and health behavior. The results show that MA enrollment is associated with certain preventive care use and health behavior, but the magnitude of the associations is small. Propensity score matching and instrumental variable analysis do not find significant changes in preventive care use and health behavior due to MA enrollment. Therefore, MA plans may not necessarily increase the use of preventive services and improve health behaviors.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Sungchul Park, Joan M. Teno, Lindsay White, Norma B. Coe
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Sungchul Park, Wankyo Chung, Jim P. Stimpson
Summary: This study examined access to care and satisfaction with care among fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries by level of care need. The results showed that the non-elderly disabled or end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were more likely to experience limited access to care and poor satisfaction with care compared to other care need groups. The leading reason for trouble accessing needed care among the non-elderly disabled or ESRD was affordability. Therefore, policymakers need to develop targeted approaches to improve access to care and satisfaction with care for the non-elderly with a disability or ESRD.
DISABILITY AND HEALTH JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Sungchul Park, Brent A. Langellier, David J. Meyers
Summary: The study examines the differences between integrated and non-integrated plans in the Medicare Advantage program in terms of financial performance, quality performance, supplemental benefits provision, and enrollee composition. Integrated plans show higher efficiency and quality, but there are disparities in enrollment, particularly among socially marginalized groups.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2023)
Letter
Health Care Sciences & Services
Sungchul Park, Goun Park, Wankyo Chung
JOURNAL OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Sungchul Park, Jim P. P. Stimpson
Summary: This study examined unmet need for medical care among fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries and found that there were differences in unmet need between different levels of care need, with the highest rates of unmet need observed among the non-elderly disabled population. The findings suggest the importance of targeted policy interventions to address unmet need among non-elderly disabled FFS Medicare beneficiaries, particularly in terms of improving affordability of care.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Sungchul Park, Alexander N. Ortega, Jie Chen, Arturo Vargas Bustamante
Summary: This study examined the effects of Medicare coverage on immigrants and US-born residents at age 65. The results showed that Medicare eligibility significantly increased insurance coverage and reduced healthcare spending for both groups. However, immigrants showed limited improvements in access to healthcare and self-reported health, while US-born residents did not experience substantial changes.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Sungchul Park, Arturo Vargas Bustamante, Jie Chen, Alexander N. Ortega
Summary: This study aimed to examine the differences in the use of high- and low-value healthcare between immigrant and US-born adults. The findings showed that after accounting for individual-level characteristics, the differences in the use of high- and low-value healthcare decreased between immigrant and US-born adults. Moreover, differences in socioeconomic status, health insurance, and access to care played a key role in accounting for the disparities in healthcare utilization between the two groups.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2023)
Letter
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Sungchul Park, Eliza W. W. Kinsey, Rishi K. K. Wadhera
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Sungchul Park, Giryeon Bae
Summary: There are differences in healthcare spending among older adults in Korea based on high-cost status. Older adults with persistently high-cost or transiently high-cost status have higher healthcare spending compared to those who have never been high-cost. Comorbid conditions and socio-economic factors play significant roles in determining high-cost status.
JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE & PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Primary Health Care
Sungchul Park, Ann M. Nguyen
Summary: This study examines whether there are differences in the use of high- and low-value care based on education levels in the United States. The findings show that more educated adults are more likely to receive high-value care, but there is no consistent pattern for the use of low-value care based on education levels. These findings emphasize the importance of implementing tailored policies to address education-based inequities in the delivery of high-value services.
Article
Primary Health Care
Sungchul Park, Ann M. Nguyen
Summary: This study examines the determinants and effectiveness of annual wellness visits (AWVs) among Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study found that having a usual source of care, enrolling in Medicare Advantage, being non-Hispanic Black, and being Hispanic were the main determinants of having an AWV. In terms of effectiveness, AWVs were associated with increases in preventive care utilization but had limited impact on health status and care satisfaction.