Search

Introduction: This systematic review analyzes contemporary literature on racial/ethnic, insurance, and socioeconomic disparities within cerebrovascular surgery in the United States to determine areas for improvement., Methods: We conducted an electronic database search of literature published between January 1990 and July 2020 using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for studies analyzing a racial/ethnic, insurance, or socioeconomic disparity within adult cerebrovascular surgery., Results: Of 2873 articles screened for eligibility by title and abstract, 970 underwent full-text independent review by 3 authors. Twenty-seven additional articles were identified through references to generate a final list of 47 included studies for analysis. Forty-six were retrospective reviews and 1 was a prospective observational cohort study, thereby comprising Levels III and IV of evidence. Studies investigated carotid artery stenting (11/47, 23%), carotid endarterectomy (22/47, 46.8%), mechanical thrombectomy (8/47, 17%), and endovascular aneurysm coiling or surgical aneurysm clipping (20/47, 42.6%). Minority and underinsured patients were less likely to receive surgical treatment. Non-White patients were more likely to experience a postoperative complication, although this significance was lost in some studies using multivariate analyses to account for complication risk factors. White and privately insured patients generally experienced shorter length of hospital stay, had lower rates of in-hospital mortality, and underwent routine discharge. Twenty-five papers (53%) reported no disparities within at least one examined metric., Conclusions: This comprehensive contemporary systematic review demonstrates the existence of disparity gaps within the field of adult cerebrovascular surgery. It highlights the importance of continued investigation into sources of disparity and efforts to promote equity within the field., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Increasing light is being shed on how race, insurance, and socioeconomic status (SES) may be related to outcomes from disease in the United States. To better understand the impact of these health care disparities in pediatric neurosurgery, we performed a systematic review of the literature., Methods: We conducted a systematic review using PRISMA guidelines and MeSH terms involving neurosurgical conditions and racial, ethnic, and SES disparities. Three independent reviewers screened articles and analyzed texts selected for full analysis., Results: Thirty-eight studies were included in the final analysis, of which all but 2 were retrospective database reviews. Thirty-four studies analyzed race, 22 analyzed insurance status, and 13 analyzed SES/income. Overall, nonwhite patients, patients with public insurance, and patients from lower SES were shown to have reduced access to treatment and greater rates of adverse outcomes. Nonwhite patients were more likely to present at an older age with more severe disease, less likely to undergo surgery at a high-volume surgical center, and more likely to experience postoperative morbidity and mortality. Underinsured and publicly insured patients were more likely to experience delay in surgical referral, less likely to undergo surgical treatment, and more likely to experience inpatient mortality., Conclusions: Health care disparities are present within multiple populations of patients receiving pediatric neurosurgical care. This review highlights the need for continued investigation into identifying and addressing health care disparities in pediatric neurosurgery patients., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The impact of race, socioeconomic status (SES), insurance status, and other social metrics on the outcomes of patients with intracranial tumors has been reported in several studies. However, these findings have not been comprehensively summarized., Methods: We conducted a PRISMA systematic review of all published articles between 1990 and 2020 that analyzed intracranial tumor disparities, including race, SES, insurance status, and safety-net hospital status. Outcomes measured include access, standards of care, receipt of surgery, extent of resection, mortality, complications, length of stay (LOS), discharge disposition, readmission rate, and hospital charges., Results: Fifty-five studies were included. Disparities in mortality were reported in 27 studies (47%), showing minority status and lower SES associated with poorer survival outcomes in 14 studies (52%). Twenty-seven studies showed that African American patients had worse outcomes across all included metrics including mortality, rates of surgical intervention, extent of resection, LOS, discharge disposition, and complication rates. Thirty studies showed that privately insured patients and patients with higher SES had better outcomes, including lower mortality, complication, and readmission rates. Six studies showed that worse outcomes were associated with treatment at safety-net and/or low-volume hospitals. The influence of Medicare or Medicaid status, or inequities affecting other minorities, was less clearly delineated. Ten studies (18%) were negative for evidence of disparities., Conclusions: Significant disparities exist among patients with intracranial tumors, particularly affecting patients of African American race and lower SES. Efforts at the hospital, state, and national level must be undertaken to identify root causes of these issues., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Our goal was to systematically review the literature on racial/ethnic, insurance, and socioeconomic disparities in adult spine surgery in the United States and analyze potential areas for improvement., Methods: We conducted a database search of literature published between January 1990 and July 2020 using PRISMA guidelines for all studies investigating a disparity in any aspect of adult spine surgery care analyzed based on race/ethnicity, insurance status/payer, or socioeconomic status (SES)., Results: Of 2679 articles identified through database searching, 775 were identified for full-text independent review by 3 authors, from which a final list of 60 studies were analyzed. Forty-three studies analyzed disparities based on patient race/ethnicity, 32 based on insurance status, and 8 based on SES. Five studies assessed disparities in access to care, 15 examined surgical treatment, 35 investigated in-hospital outcomes, and 25 explored after-discharge outcomes. Minority patients were less likely to undergo surgery but more likely to receive surgery from a low-volume provider and experience postoperative complications. White and privately insured patients generally had shorter hospital length of stay, were more likely to undergo favorable/routine discharge, and had lower rates of in-hospital mortality. After discharge, white patients reported better outcomes than did black patients. Thirty-three studies (55%) reported no disparities within at least 1 examined metric., Conclusions: This comprehensive systematic review underscores ongoing potential for health care disparities among adult patients in spinal surgery. We show a need for continued efforts to promote equity and cultural competency within neurologic surgery., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)