Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Stephanie G. Thompson, P. Alan Barber, John H. Gommans, Dominique A. Cadilhac, Alan Davis, John N. Fink, Matire Harwood, William Levack, Harry McNaughton, Valery L. Feigin, Virginia Abernethy, Jackie Girvan, Hayley Denison, Marine Corbin, Andrew Wilson, Jeroen Douwes, Annemarei Ranta
Summary: This study investigated ethnic inequities in stroke care access in New Zealand and found that non-European, particularly Maori, patients had poorer access to key stroke interventions and experienced worse outcomes.
LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH-WESTERN PACIFIC
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Erika B. Fulmer, Dana Keener Mast, Lucas Godoy Garraza, Siobhan Gilchrist, Aysha Rasool, Ye Xu, Amanda Brown, Nina Omeaku, Zhiqiu Ye, Bruce Donald, Sharada Shantharam, Sallyann Coleman King, Adebola Popoola, Kristen Cincotta
Summary: Since 2003, 38 US states and Washington, DC have implemented legislation and/or regulations to strengthen stroke systems of care (SSOCs). This study found that states with SSOC policies achieved better access to primary stroke centers, reduced hospital costs, lower stroke mortality rates, and improved timeliness of brain imaging for stroke patients.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Kuo-Yu Fu, Meng-Lun Hsieh, Jou-An Chen, Vivian Chia-Rong Hsieh
Summary: This study evaluates medication adherence in patients with hepatitis B-related cirrhosis and examines its association with disease outcomes. The study finds that long-term adherence to oral antiviral therapy is inadequate and higher adherence is associated with lower likelihood of decompensation and mortality.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Erjia Ge, Min Su, Ruiling Zhao, Zhiyong Huang, Yina Shan, Xiaolin Wei
Summary: This study proposed a spatial coverage modelling approach to evaluate disparities in hospital care access, focusing on hospital capacity, travel time, and population coverage rate. Significant disparities were observed across different regions, suggesting the need for a comprehensive and integrated healthcare system to improve equity in access to care.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Kerolos Daowd, Max Ferguson, Lisa Liu, Jackson Loyal, Kurt Lock, Brittany Graham, Jessica Lamb, Jenny McDougall, Jane A. Buxton
Summary: This study aimed to assess the awareness of drug alerts among residents in British Columbia (BC) and predict their drug use behavior after being aware of an alert. The analysis of the 2021 BC harm reduction client survey showed that the majority of respondents changed their drug use behavior to reduce risks after seeing/hearing a drug alert. As a result, drug alerts can play a positive role in reducing harm from drug abuse, and further efforts are needed to reach a wider population.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Smita Das, Jane Wang, Shih-Yin Chen, Connie E. Chen
Summary: The study shows that an evidence-based telemedicine service using collaborative care model can effectively reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, providing mental health medication management for those in need.
TELEMEDICINE AND E-HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jingchuan Guo, Sean Dickson, Lucas A. Berenbrok, Shangbin Tang, Utibe R. Essien, Inmaculada Hernandez
Summary: Using ArcGIS Network Analyst and a national transportation dataset, we calculated the driving distance to the closest health care facility for a representative sample of the U.S. population and found that Black residents have a longer driving distance than White residents. There were significant geographic variations in racial disparities in access to health care facilities, with concentrated disparities in the Southeast and a concentration of overall population >5 miles to the closest facility in the Midwest. This geographic variation highlights the importance of using spatially explicit data in designing equitable health care facility establishments.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Constantin-Cristian Topriceanu, Andrew Wong, James C. Moon, Alun D. Hughes, David Bann, Nishi Chaturvedi, Praveetha Patalay, Gabriella Conti, Gaby Captur
Summary: The study found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, women and individuals with chronic illnesses were significantly more affected by cancellations of surgical or medical appointments. Ethnic minorities and individuals with chronic illnesses required more care hours during the lockdown. Socioeconomic position was not associated with cancellation or care hours, and age was not independently associated with the outcomes.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Cesia F. Cotache-Condor, Katelyn Moody, Tessa Concepcion, Mubarak Mohamed, Shukri Dahir, Edna Adan Ismail, Jonathan Cook, John Will, Henry E. Rice, Emily R. Smith
Summary: The study revealed inadequate geographical access to surgical care for children in Somaliland, with less than 10% of children having timely access to care, requiring up to 12 hours by public transportation or over 2 days on foot to reach surgical care. There are significant disparities in the prevalence of pediatric surgical conditions and access to care, especially for children traveling by foot and living in rural areas, where delays in receiving surgery often exceed 3 years. Overall, Sahil and Sool were identified as regions with the highest need for surgical care and the poorest coverage.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Teresa Gisinger, Zahra Azizi, Pouria Alipour, Juergen Harreiter, Valeria Raparelli, Karolina Kublickiene, Maria Trinidad Herrero, Colleen M. Norris, Khaled El Emam, Louise Pilote, Alexandra Kautzky-Willer
Summary: This study aimed to investigate whether sex and gender factors have an impact on access to healthcare and cardiovascular outcomes of individuals with diabetes across different countries. The analysis of data from Canadian and European surveys revealed that gender differences existed in diabetes monitoring and that countries with higher gender inequality had higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and hospitalizations in diabetes patients.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Dermatology
Jose L. Cortez, Juan Vasquez, Maria L. Wei
Summary: Melanoma care in the United States faces disparities in providers, patient demographics, residence, insurance, socioeconomic factors, race/ethnicity, and age, impacting outcomes. Melanomas detected by dermatologists tend to be thinner, at an earlier stage, and have better survival rates. Lower socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and residence can lead to late-stage melanomas with worse outcomes.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
J. L. Bastos, E. Fleming, D. G. Haag, H. S. Schuch, L. M. Jamieson, H. M. Constante
Summary: We utilized a structural intersectionality approach to study the relationship between systems of oppression and access to oral care in the United States. We examined the impact of government-funded dental services on these associations and identified intersectional groups with the highest odds of not accessing dental services. Our findings highlight the importance of addressing structural drivers of inequities and providing dental care for all.
JOURNAL OF DENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Richmond Opoku, Bismark Dwumfour-Asare, Lawrencia Agrey-Bluwey, Nana Esi Appiah, Michael Ackah, Francis Acquah, Priscilla Fordjour Asenso, Abdul-Aziz Issaka
Summary: This study estimates the prevalence of self-medication and explores the reasons behind it in Ghana. A comprehensive search was conducted to identify relevant studies, and meta-analysis and thematic analysis were performed. The results show that self-medication is a prevalent issue in Ghana, influenced by difficulties in accessing healthcare and inadequate health-seeking behaviors.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Danielle Butler, Anton Clifford-Motopi, Saira Mathew, Carmel Nelson, Renee Brown, Karen Gardner, Lyle Turner, Leanne Coombe, Yvette Roe, Yu Gao, James Ward
Summary: This article introduces the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) in addressing the specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations in Australia. The Patient-Centred Medical Homes (PCMH) model is an adaptive primary healthcare model, but there is insufficient evidence on its implementation and effectiveness for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations in large urban settings. The study will compare standard care and an adapted PCMH model of care, and examine their impact on access to care, quality of care, health outcomes, and economic costs.
Article
Surgery
Hannah Cockrell, Dwight Barry, Andre Dick, Sarah Greenberg
Summary: This study retrospectively analyzed pediatric patients aged 0-21 at a large rural catchment area surgical facility. The results showed that patients living more than 120 minutes away from the facility had an increased risk of postoperative mortality and serious adverse events, while non-metropolitan patients had an increased risk of serious postoperative events.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY
(2023)