CHOP Study Finds Multiple Disparities in Completing Care After Concussions
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found disparities in the completion of follow-up concussion care, particularly among pediatric patients who are publicly insured and identify as Black, suggesting barriers to care exist. The findings, recently published in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, will help inform research funded by a newly awarded grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) aimed at addressing disparities in concussion care across socioeconomic groups.
- Concussions are a major public health issue, with nearly 2 million occurring annually in children and adolescents.
- Yet access to care, and the ability to complete follow-up care recommendations, is not equally distributed among all concussion patients, especially those experiencing socioeconomic disadvantages.
- This study was designed to help determine where disparities exist in concussion care, with an emphasis on determining which demographic groups may be most at-risk for health care inequities.
- In this retrospective study, the researchers reviewed medical records of children seen in CHOP primary care clinics to determine whether pediatric concussion patients adhered to providers' follow-up recommendations and continued care until doctors cleared them to return to full activity.