Association between race and in-hospital outcomes in children with spina bifida following inpatient urologic surgery.
Jason Chandrapal, Kirsten Simmons, J Todd Purves and 2 others
PMID 34864697WHAT IT FOUND
In children with spina bifida undergoing urologic surgery, Hispanic ethnicity was associated with longer hospital stays and higher costs compared to White patients.
There was no difference in in-hospital complications between White, Black, or Hispanic groups.
Key findings
01There was no difference in the odds of in-hospital post-operative complications for Black or Hispanic patients compared to White patients after adjusting for covariates.
02Hispanic encounters had evidence of increased length of stay and higher inflation-adjusted costs compared to White encounters.
03The study did not find sufficient evidence of disparities in complications, cost, or length of stay between White and Black encounters.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relied on administrative billing codes, which may contain errors in diagnosis, race, or complication identification. The database tracks hospital encounters rather than unique patients, so individuals with multiple admissions were counted separately. The study could not assess outcomes after discharge, such as readmissions or long-term complications. The analysis was limited to inpatient complications and did not include outpatient issues. The study could not determine the underlying causes for the differences in cost and length of stay for Hispanic patients, as factors like socioeconomic status or specific surgical details were not fully captured. The data is from 1998-2014 and may not reflect current practices or recent changes in coding systems.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that race or ethnicity causes differences in surgical complications. The study found no difference in complication rates between groups, and the differences in cost and stay length may be influenced by unmeasured factors like hospital type or patient health status rather than the surgery itself.