TY - JOUR
T1 - Association of healthcare access with intensive care unit utilization and mortality in patients of hispanic ethnicity hospitalized with COVID-19
AU - Velasco, Ferdinand
AU - Yang, Donghan M.
AU - Zhang, Minzhe
AU - Nelson, Tanna
AU - Sheffield, Thomas
AU - Keller, Tony
AU - Wang, Yiqing
AU - Walker, Clark
AU - Katterapalli, Chaitanya
AU - Zimmerman, Kelli
AU - Masica, Andrew
AU - Lehmann, Christoph U.
AU - Xie, Yang
AU - Hollingsworth, John W.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Society of Hospital Medicine
PY - 2021/11
Y1 - 2021/11
N2 - BACKGROUND: Racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States experience a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 deaths. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether outcome differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic COVID-19 hospitalized patients exist and, if so, to identify the main malleable contributing factors. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study of 6097 adult COVID-19 patients hospitalized within a single large healthcare system from March to November 2020. EXPOSURES: Self-reported ethnicity and primary language. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Clinical outcomes included intensive care unit (ICU) utilization and in-hospital death. We used age-adjusted odds ratios (OR) and multivariable analysis to evaluate the associations between ethnicity/language groups and outcomes. RESULTS: 32.1% of patients were Hispanic, 38.6% of whom reported a non-English primary language. Hispanic patients were less likely to be insured, have a primary care provider, and have accessed the healthcare system prior to the COVID-19 admission. After adjusting for age, Hispanic inpatients experienced higher ICU utilization (non-English-speaking: OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.47-2.08; English-speaking: OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.95-1.33) and higher mortality (non-English-speaking: OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.10-1.86; English-speaking: OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.19-1.98) compared to non-Hispanic inpatients. There were no observed treatment disparities among ethnic groups. After adjusting for age, Hispanic inpatients had elevated disease severity at admission (non-English-speaking: OR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.89-2.72; English-speaking: OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.10-1.61). In multivariable analysis, the associations between ethnicity/language and clinical outcomes decreased after considering baseline disease severity (P <.001). CONCLUSION: The associations between ethnicity and clinical outcomes can be explained by elevated disease severity at admission and limited access to healthcare for Hispanic patients, especially non-English-speaking Hispanics. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2021;16:659-666.
AB - BACKGROUND: Racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States experience a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 deaths. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether outcome differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic COVID-19 hospitalized patients exist and, if so, to identify the main malleable contributing factors. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study of 6097 adult COVID-19 patients hospitalized within a single large healthcare system from March to November 2020. EXPOSURES: Self-reported ethnicity and primary language. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Clinical outcomes included intensive care unit (ICU) utilization and in-hospital death. We used age-adjusted odds ratios (OR) and multivariable analysis to evaluate the associations between ethnicity/language groups and outcomes. RESULTS: 32.1% of patients were Hispanic, 38.6% of whom reported a non-English primary language. Hispanic patients were less likely to be insured, have a primary care provider, and have accessed the healthcare system prior to the COVID-19 admission. After adjusting for age, Hispanic inpatients experienced higher ICU utilization (non-English-speaking: OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.47-2.08; English-speaking: OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.95-1.33) and higher mortality (non-English-speaking: OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.10-1.86; English-speaking: OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.19-1.98) compared to non-Hispanic inpatients. There were no observed treatment disparities among ethnic groups. After adjusting for age, Hispanic inpatients had elevated disease severity at admission (non-English-speaking: OR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.89-2.72; English-speaking: OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.10-1.61). In multivariable analysis, the associations between ethnicity/language and clinical outcomes decreased after considering baseline disease severity (P <.001). CONCLUSION: The associations between ethnicity and clinical outcomes can be explained by elevated disease severity at admission and limited access to healthcare for Hispanic patients, especially non-English-speaking Hispanics. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2021;16:659-666.
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U2 - 10.12788/jhm.3717
DO - 10.12788/jhm.3717
M3 - Article
C2 - 34730508
AN - SCOPUS:85120052518
SN - 1553-5592
VL - 16
SP - 659
EP - 666
JO - Journal of hospital medicine
JF - Journal of hospital medicine
IS - 11
ER -