Racial differences in treatment-seeking delays among heart failure patients

被引:46
作者
Evangelista, LS
Dracup, K
Doering, LV
机构
[1] Univ Calif Los Angeles, Sch Nursing, Los Angeles, CA 90024 USA
[2] Univ Calif San Francisco, Sch Nursing, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA
关键词
veterans; hospital readmission; functional status; total length of stay;
D O I
10.1054/jcaf.2002.129234
中图分类号
R5 [内科学];
学科分类号
1002 ; 100201 ;
摘要
Background: Treatment-seeking delays for heart failure (HF) symptoms are significantly high. However, earlier studies did not closely examine race as a characteristic that could potentially influence delay times. The purpose of this study was (1) to describe racial differences in treatment-seeking delays for HF symptoms and (2) to identify racial differences in hospital readmission rates. functional status, and total length of stay. Methods and Results: A retrospective chart review of all patients admitted with HF at a Veterans Administration facility was conducted. The study sample consisted of 753 patients: 456 Caucasians (60.6%), 220 African Americans (29.2%), 41 Asians (5.4%). and 36 Hispanics (4.8%). The average prehospital delay time was 2.9 +/- 0.7 days. Mean delay times were significantly longer for African Americans than for Caucasians, Asians, and Hispanics (P = .019). African Americans also had significantly higher readmission rates (P = .001) and lower functional status (higher New York Heart Association functional class) (P = .034). There were no significant racial differences in total length of stay for HF admissions. Conclusion: The current study supports that racial differences exist in treatment-seeking behaviors for HF symptoms. hospital readmission rates. and functional status. A better understanding of treatment-seeking behaviors of HF patients with different racial characteristics may be key to early recognition and prevention of complications in this high-risk population: it may be beneficial in identifying patients at risk for treatment delays and potentially poorer outcomes.
引用
收藏
页码:381 / 386
页数:6
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