Systematic Review of Racial, Socioeconomic, and Insurance Status Disparities in the Treatment of Pediatric Neurosurgical Diseases in the United States

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Ethnicity; Health care disparities; Insurance status; Pediatric neurosurgery; Race; Socioeconomic status.