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

Zook 2019

 

Year: 2019

Title: Racial/Ethnic Variation in Emergency Department Care for Children with Asthma

Country: United States

Age: Pediatric Only

Sex: All Sexes

Population: Multiple Groups

Care Setting: Emergency Department

Clinical Setting: General Diagnostic Imaging

Data Level: Regional

Data Type: EHR

Data Source: Local data

Conclusion: Disparities In Some Minority Groups

Health OutComes Reported: No

Mitigation: No

Free Text Conclusion: Among children treated in the emergency department for asthma, Black children were less likely to have imaging than White children.

Abstract: Objective To assess the variation between racial/ethnic groups in emergency department (ED) treatment of asthma for pediatric patients. Methods This study was a cross-sectional analysis of pediatric (2-18 years) asthma visits among 6 EDs in the Upper Midwest between June 2011 and May 2012. We used mixed-effects logistic regression to assess the odds of receiving steroids, radiology tests, and returning to the ED within 30 days. We conducted a subanalysis of asthma visits where patients received at least 1 albuterol treatment in the ED. Results The sample included 2909 asthma visits by 1755 patients who were discharged home from the ED. After adjusting for demographics, insurance type, and triage score, African American (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.40-2.26) and Hispanic (aOR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.22-2.22) patients had higher odds of receiving steroids compared with whites. African Americans (aOR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.46-0.74) also had lower odds of radiological testing compared with whites. Asians had the lowest odds of 30-day ED revisits (aOR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.08-0.84), with no other significant differences detected between racial/ethnic groups. Subgroup analyses of asthma patients who received albuterol revealed similar results, with American Indians showing lower odds of radiological testing as well (aOR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.22-1.01). Conclusions In this study, children from racial/ethnic minority groups had higher odds of steroid administration and lower odds of radiological testing compared with white children. The underlying reasons for these differences are likely multifactorial, including varying levels of disease severity, health literacy, and access to care.