|
Abstract:
|
The U.S. population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse yet disparities in health care continue to exist. One specific area of medical care in which racial disparities have been identified is total knee arthroplasty (TKA)-an efficacious and cost-effective treatment option for individuals with advanced arthritis of the knee. Studies have documented that racial and ethnic minorities tend to have higher rates of adverse health outcomes and face more barriers in utilizing the procedure. As TKA can potentially improve the health of many Americans, there is a great need to understand, track and resolve racial/ethnic disparities in its utilization. In this study of nationally administrative data collected for the State Inpatient Databases (SID) from eight states between 2001 and 2008, we found that minorities had higher rates of adverse outcomes (mortality and complications) and lower rates of TKA utilization. Furthermore, minorities were less likely to undergo TKA in high-volume hospitals compared to whites.
|
