Search

Objectives: To examine racial/ethnic differences in healthcare use among patients classified as having controlled and uncontrolled diabetes. Design: Data from the Carolinas HealthCare System electronic data warehouse were used. Glycemic control was defined as glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) < 8% (64 mmol/mol) in 2012 (n = 9996). Patients with HbA1c ≥ 8% (64 mmol/mol) in 2012 were classified as uncontrolled (n = 2576). Race and ethnicity were jointly classified as non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic White or Other. Separate mixed effects negative binomial models estimated the independent effect of race/ethnicity on the number of emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations and physician office visits in 2013, in each patient group, adjusting for significant confounding variables. Results: Rates of diabetes-related ED visits were two to three times higher for non-Hispanic Blacks compared to non-Hispanic Whites (uncontrolled rate ratio [RR]: 3.41 95% CI: 1.41-8.22; controlled RR: 2.95; 95% CI: 1.78-4.91). Similar differences were observed for all-cause ED visits (uncontrolled RR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.50-2.24; controlled RR: 2.45, 95% CI: 2.17-2.77). Non-Hispanic Blacks with controlled and uncontrolled diabetes also had lower rates of all-cause physician office visits when compared to non-Hispanic Whites (uncontrolled RR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.77-0.91; controlled RR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.78-0.84). Conclusion: Notable racial/ethnic disparities exist in the use of emergency services and physician offices for diabetes care. Strategies such as patient education and care delivery changes that address healthcare access issues in racial/ethnic minorities should be considered to offer better diabetes management and address diabetes disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The severity of the 2017–2018 influenza season in the United States was high, with influenza A(H3N2) viruses predominating. Here, we report influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) and estimate the number of vaccine-prevented influenza-associated illnesses, medical visits, hospitalizations, and deaths for the 2017–2018 influenza season. Methods We used national age-specific estimates of 2017–2018 influenza vaccine coverage and disease burden. We estimated VE against medically attended reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction–confirmed influenza virus infection in the ambulatory setting using a test-negative design. We used a compartmental model to estimate numbers of influenza-associated outcomes prevented by vaccination. Results The VE against outpatient, medically attended, laboratory-confirmed influenza was 38% (95% confidence interval [CI], 31%–43%), including 22% (95% CI, 12%–31%) against influenza A(H3N2), 62% (95% CI, 50%–71%) against influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, and 50% (95% CI, 41%–57%) against influenza B. We estimated that influenza vaccination prevented 7.1 million (95% CrI, 5.4 million–9.3 million) illnesses, 3.7 million (95% CrI, 2.8 million–4.9 million) medical visits, 109 000 (95% CrI, 39 000–231 000) hospitalizations, and 8000 (95% credible interval [CrI], 1100–21 000) deaths. Vaccination prevented 10% of expected hospitalizations overall and 41% among young children (6 months–4 years). Conclusions Despite 38% VE, influenza vaccination reduced a substantial burden of influenza-associated illness, medical visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States during the 2017–2018 season. Our results demonstrate the benefit of current influenza vaccination and the need for improved vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]