Department of Radiology
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

BenMorrison 2012

 

Year: 2012

Title: Disparities in preventive health services among Somali immigrants and refugees

Country: United States

Age: Adult Only

Sex: All Sexes

Population: Immigrants

Care Setting: Outpatient Ambulatory and Primary Care

Clinical Setting: Breast Cancer Screening

Data Level: Multi-Institution

Data Type: EHR

Data Source: Local data

Conclusion: Disparities In All Minority Groups

Health OutComes Reported: No

Mitigation: Yes

Free Text Conclusion: Somali immigrant patients have lower mammography rates than non-Somali patients.

Abstract: African immigrants and refugees-almost half of them from Somalia-account for one of the fastestgrowing groups in the United States. There is reason to suspect that Somali-Americans may be at risk for low completion of recommended preventive health services. This study's aim was to quantify disparities in preventive health services among Somali patients compared with non-Somali patients in an academic primary care practice in Rochester, Minn. It also examined the effect of medical interpreters, emergency department visits, and primary care visits on the completion of preventive services. Rates of pap smears, vaccinations (influenza, pneumococcus, and tetanus), lipid screening, colorectal cancer screening, and mammography were assessed in Somali and non-Somali patients during the second quarter of 2008. Data were collected regarding the utilization of medical interpreters, emergency services, and primary care services among Somali patients. Results were reported using standard descriptive statistics. Of the 91,557 patients identified in the database, 810 were Somali. Somali patients had significantly lower completion rates of colorectal cancer screening, mammography, pap smears, and influenza vaccination than non-Somali patients. Use of medical interpreters and primary care services were generally associated with higher completion rates of preventive services. There are significant discrepancies in the provision of preventive health services to Somali patients compared with that of non-Somali patients. These findings suggest the need to identify the root causes of these discrepancies so that interventions may be crafted to close the gap.