The following is a summary of “Racial and ethnic differences in barriers to care among US adults with chronic inflammatory skin diseases: A cross-sectional study of the All of Us Research Program,” published in the MARCH 2023 issue of Dermatology by Nock, et al.
There was limited research on the racial and ethnic differences in barriers to care for chronic inflammatory skin diseases (CISDs) among patients. For a study, researchers sought to investigate the prevalence of the various obstacles to care among patients with CISDs from different racial and ethnic groups.
They conducted a cross-sectional study using survey data from participants with CISDs in the All of Us Research Program. They used multivariable regression to analyze the relationship between race and ethnicity and experiencing barriers to care. The study included 16,986 patients with CISDs.
The study found that Black and Hispanic patients with CISDs were more likely to delay care due to cost and various structural barriers, including transportation, work, childcare, adult care, living in a rural area, and the lack of healthcare workforce diversity when compared to White patients. However, controlling for insurance, income, and education resulted in the associations between race and ethnicity and many barriers to care being substantially reduced.
The study had some limitations, including the non-representative sample of US adults studied and the non-specificity of the responses to dermatologic care. The findings suggested that racial and ethnic minority patients with CISDs, especially Black and Hispanic patients, face various barriers to care that may affect their access to medical care.
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