American journal of rhinology & allergy
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Am J Rhinol Allergy · Nov 2017
The relationship between social determinants of health and utilization of tertiary rhinology care.
Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has a high prevalence and significant cost and quality of life implications. Many types of practitioners care for patients with rhinosinusitis; however, patients with chronic or complicated conditions are often referred for tertiary rhinology services. It is unclear how social determinants of health affect access and utilization of these services. A better understanding of social barriers to tertiary rhinology care is needed to reduce health care disparities and improve health outcomes. The aim of the present study was to measure whether income, insurance status, race, and education affect utilization of tertiary rhinology care. ⋯ Results of this study indicated that some social determinants of health (race, income, educational level, insurance status) do affect utilization of tertiary rhinology services. Higher utilization among those with higher income and educational attainment are contradictory to the data, which indicated that lower socioeconomic status was associated with a higher CRS rate. Further study is required to understand the disparities in rhinology utilization rates.