Analysis of missed clinic visits, preferred languages, and telemedicine in a pediatric gastroenterology practice.
J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr
; 78(5): 1069-1081, 2024 May.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38451035
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
Previous studies have demonstrated a relationship between socioeconomic disparities and missed clinic visits (MCV). However, the relationship between patient-preferred language and MCVs, particularly with respect to telemedicine, remains relatively underexplored. We sought to characterize the associations between MCV and patient-level predictors, including preferred language, in a large single-center pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition practice.METHODS:
This retrospective longitudinal cohort study included all missed or completed outpatient visits in the Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Programs at Boston Children's Hospital from January 1, 2016 to May 20, 2022. Univariate and multivariate hierarchical generalized linear mixed models were employed to identify associations between visit- and patient-level predictors and an MCV outcome.RESULTS:
A total of 300,201 visits from 70,710 patients residing in Massachusetts were included. Univariate analyses revealed higher MCV odds for Hispanic patients and those from areas with the highest Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), and these odds increased with telemedicine (Hispanic in-person odds ratio [OR] 5.21 [(95% confidence interval) 4.93-5.52] vs. telemedicine OR 8.79 [7.85-9.83]; highest SVI in-person OR 5.28 [4.95-5.64] vs. telemedicine OR 7.82 [6.84-8.96]). Controlled multivariate analyses revealed that among six language groups, only Spanish language preference was associated with higher MCV odds, which increased with telemedicine (Spanish in-person adjusted OR [aOR] 1.35 [1.24-1.48] vs. telemedicine aOR 2.1 [1.83-2.44]).CONCLUSIONS:
Patients preferring Spanish experience unique barriers to care beyond those faced by other language preference groups, and telemedicine may exacerbate these barriers.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Temas:
ECOS
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Equidade_desigualdade
Bases de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Telemedicina
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Gastroenterologia
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Idioma
Limite:
Adolescent
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Child
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Child, preschool
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Female
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Humans
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Infant
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Male
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos