Racial disparities persist in diabetes care outcomes
(HealthDay)—Black patients do not receive the same quality of care, and experience poorer intermediate outcomes in the practice setting of a patient-centered medical home (PCMH), according to research published online Nov. 19 in Diabetes Care.
In an effort to assess racial differences in processes of care and intermediate outcomes for diabetes, Joseph A. Simonetti, M.D., of the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues retrospectively analyzed data for 1,457 adults receiving care within a PCMH-designated academic practice.
The researchers found that, compared with non-Hispanic white patients, more black patients had a hemoglobin A1C greater than 9 percent, and fewer black patients achieved a hemoglobin A1C less than 7 percent, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol less than 100 mg/dL, or blood pressure less than 140/90 mm Hg (P < 0.05 for all comparisons). According to multivariable analysis, black patients were less likely to receive hemoglobin A1C testing (odds ratio [OR], 0.57) or influenza vaccination (OR, 0.75) and also less likely to achieve LDL cholesterol less than 100 mg/dL (OR, 0.74) or blood pressure less than 140/90 mm Hg (OR, 0.64).
"In summary, despite the implementation of a highly innovative PCMH, we observed racial differences in both processes of care and intermediate outcomes for patients with diabetes," the authors write.
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