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. 2023 Jan-Dec:60:469580231182863.
doi: 10.1177/00469580231182863.

Disability and Emergency Department Visits: A Path Analysis of the Mediating Effects of Unmet Healthcare Needs and Chronic Diseases

Seungeun Park  1 , Jae-Hyun Park  1
Affiliations

Disability and Emergency Department Visits: A Path Analysis of the Mediating Effects of Unmet Healthcare Needs and Chronic Diseases

Seungeun Park et al. Inquiry. 2023 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Previous studies identified disabilities and unmet healthcare needs, especially those related to primary healthcare, as predictors of ED use. This study examined the relationship between disability, unmet healthcare needs, chronic diseases, and ED visits in South Korea. This study was a cross-sectional study using the Korean Health Panel Survey collected in 2018. A path analysis was used. Our research found a significant association between disability and ED visits mediated by unmet healthcare needs and chronic diseases. Disability had a significant direct effect on unmet healthcare needs (β = .04, P ≤ .001) and chronic diseases (β = .10, P ≤ .001). However, there was no mediating effect of unmet healthcare needs between disability and ED visits. While barriers to access to care among people with disabilities are widely acknowledged, this study suggests that interventions or programs to reduce ED visits should consider the unique healthcare needs of people with disabilities.

Keywords: chronic diseases; disabled persons; emergency care; emergency department; health services accessibility; people with disabilities; unmet healthcare needs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Hypothesized model.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Path diagram for the effects of disabilities on ED visits (*P≤.05, **p≤.01, ***p≤.001)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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