Abstract:Background:
Hand-injured patients seen in the emergency department can often be followed as outpatients for definitive care and rehabilitation. Many face barriers to continuing care in the outpatient setting that impact quality of care delivery. The authors aimed to evaluate patterns of outpatient follow-up after initial emergency department evaluation of traumatic hand injuries, identify factors associated with poor follow-up, and suggest areas for improvement.
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“…33,34 Lack of health insurance is a frequently encountered socioeconomic barrier to outpatient follow-up after ED visit for a number of clinical scenarios and conditions. [35][36][37] In…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Uninsured patients have time and time again been demonstrated to suffer poorer health outcomes than those with insurance 33,34 . Lack of health insurance is a frequently encountered socioeconomic barrier to outpatient follow‐up after ED visit for a number of clinical scenarios and conditions 35–37 . In 2016, Van Handel et al, conducted a nationwide HCV‐incidence county level assessment considering a number of socioeconomic variables to include per capita income and unemployment rate; socioeconomic variables were independently and significantly associated with incidence of HCV.…”
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) surveillance is a critical component of a comprehensive strategy to prevent and control HCV infection and HCV‐related chronic liver disease. The emergency department (ED) has been increasingly recognized as a vital partner in HCV testing and linkage. We sought to consider active RNA HCV viremia over time in patients participating in an ED‐based testing programme as a measure of local HCV surveillance and as a barometer of ED‐testing programme impact. We performed a retrospective analysis of individuals participating in our ED‐based HCV testing programme between 2015 and 2021. Chi‐square tests were used to compare the demographic characteristics of HCV antibody positive tests with active viremia to those without active viremia. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the trend in active viremia risk over time in the overall study population as well as in key subpopulations of interest. Of 5456 HCV antibody positive individuals, 3102 (56.8%) had active viremia. In the overall study population, we found that the risk of active viremia decreased by 4.8% per year during the study period (RR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.93–0.97|p < .0001). Baby boomers experienced a 9% decrease in active viremia risk per year over the study period while non‐baby boomers only had a 2% decrease in risk per year (p = .0009). Compared with insured patients, uninsured patients had a smaller decrease in risk of active HCV viremia per year (p = .003). No significant differences in the risk of active viremia over time were observed for gender (p = .4694) or by primary care provider status (p = .2208). In conclusion, this ED‐based testing and linkage programme demonstrates significantly decreased active HCV viremia over time. It also highlights subpopulations, specifically non‐baby boomers and uninsured patients, who may benefit from focused interventions to improve access to and adoption of definitive HCV care.
“…33,34 Lack of health insurance is a frequently encountered socioeconomic barrier to outpatient follow-up after ED visit for a number of clinical scenarios and conditions. [35][36][37] In…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Uninsured patients have time and time again been demonstrated to suffer poorer health outcomes than those with insurance 33,34 . Lack of health insurance is a frequently encountered socioeconomic barrier to outpatient follow‐up after ED visit for a number of clinical scenarios and conditions 35–37 . In 2016, Van Handel et al, conducted a nationwide HCV‐incidence county level assessment considering a number of socioeconomic variables to include per capita income and unemployment rate; socioeconomic variables were independently and significantly associated with incidence of HCV.…”
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) surveillance is a critical component of a comprehensive strategy to prevent and control HCV infection and HCV‐related chronic liver disease. The emergency department (ED) has been increasingly recognized as a vital partner in HCV testing and linkage. We sought to consider active RNA HCV viremia over time in patients participating in an ED‐based testing programme as a measure of local HCV surveillance and as a barometer of ED‐testing programme impact. We performed a retrospective analysis of individuals participating in our ED‐based HCV testing programme between 2015 and 2021. Chi‐square tests were used to compare the demographic characteristics of HCV antibody positive tests with active viremia to those without active viremia. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the trend in active viremia risk over time in the overall study population as well as in key subpopulations of interest. Of 5456 HCV antibody positive individuals, 3102 (56.8%) had active viremia. In the overall study population, we found that the risk of active viremia decreased by 4.8% per year during the study period (RR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.93–0.97|p < .0001). Baby boomers experienced a 9% decrease in active viremia risk per year over the study period while non‐baby boomers only had a 2% decrease in risk per year (p = .0009). Compared with insured patients, uninsured patients had a smaller decrease in risk of active HCV viremia per year (p = .003). No significant differences in the risk of active viremia over time were observed for gender (p = .4694) or by primary care provider status (p = .2208). In conclusion, this ED‐based testing and linkage programme demonstrates significantly decreased active HCV viremia over time. It also highlights subpopulations, specifically non‐baby boomers and uninsured patients, who may benefit from focused interventions to improve access to and adoption of definitive HCV care.
“…7 Last, those without a driver’s license were less likely to follow-up for their hand care because of the associated challenges with travel. 27…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Uninsured and Medicaid-insured patients are significantly less likely to initiate recommended hand specialty follow-up, and significantly less likely to complete follow-up even when established with an outpatient clinic. 7,27 In addition, no-show rates increased with the greater distance required to reach the tertiary center. 7 Last, those without a driver's license were less likely to follow-up for their hand care because of the associated challenges with travel.…”
Section: Patient-related Barriersmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…7 Last, those without a driver's license were less likely to follow-up for their hand care because of the associated challenges with travel. 27 Socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic status is often measured as a combination of education, income, and occupation.…”
Background: Mechanisms that affect access to surgical hand care appear to be complex and multifaceted. This scoping review aims to investigate the available literature describing such mechanisms and provide direction for future investigation. Methods: The methodological framework outlined by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews was used to guide this review. In November 2021, MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched. A narrative summary of the characteristics and key findings of each paper is used to present the data to facilitate the integration of diverse evidence. Results: Of 471 initial studies, 49 were included in our final analysis. Of these, 33% were cohort studies; 27% reported that underinsured patients are less likely to get an appointment with a hand specialist or to receive treatment. Overburdened emergency departments accounted for the second-most reported reason (16%) for diminished access to surgical hand care. Elective procedure financial incentives, poor emergency surgical hand coverage, distance to treatment, race, and policy were also notably reported across the literature. Conclusions: This study describes the vast mechanisms that hinder access to surgical hand care and highlights their complexity. Possible solutions and policy changes that may help improve access have been described.
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