Key result
Lack of private insurance and residing in low-income communities increased the likelihood of in-hospital postsurgical complications by 30-50% and 12%, respectively, attenuating the effect of race.
Why the study?
What are the roles of patient, hospital, and community characteristics on racial and ethnic disparities in in-hospital postsurgical complications?
Population
5,474,067 inpatient surgical discharges in the U.S. (2011)
Design
Cross-sectional
Follow-up
in-hospital
Authors
Loading...
Insurance and income disparities may elevate postsurgical complication risk; leaves open whether targeted interventions improve equity.
Observational (n=5,474,067)
Yes
What are the roles of patient, hospital, and community characteristics on racial and ethnic disparities in in-hospital postsurgical complications?
Socioeconomic factors, particularly insurance status and community income, rather than race, appear to be the primary drivers of disparities in in-hospital postsurgical complications.
Witt et al. (2016) conducted an observational in Inpatient surgical discharges (n=5,474,067). Lack of private insurance and low-income community status vs. Private insurance and higher-income communities was evaluated on Any in-hospital postsurgical complication (AHRQ Patient Safety Indicators). Lack of private insurance and residing in low-income communities increased the likelihood of in-hospital postsurgical complications by 30-50% and 12%, respectively, attenuating the effect of race.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: