Medical care
-
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the "signature injury" in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars [Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)]. Patients with combat-related TBI also have high rates of psychiatric disturbances and pain. ⋯ The vast majority of VHA patients diagnosed with TBI also have a diagnosed mental disorder and more than half have both PTSD and pain. Patients with these comorbidities incur substantial medical costs and represent a target population for future research aimed at improving health care efficiency.
-
Comparative Study
Diverging racial and ethnic disparities in access to physician care: comparing 2000 and 2007.
To examine recent changes in racial and ethnic disparities in access to physician services in the United States, and investigate the economic factors driving the changes observed. ⋯ Disparities in access to physician care are improving for African Americans in one dimension, but eroding for Hispanics in multiple dimensions. The most important contributing factors to the growing disparities between Hispanics and Whites are health insurance, education, and income differences.
-
Emergency department volume and racial and ethnic differences in waiting times in the United States.
Racial and ethnic differences in emergency department (ED) waiting times have been observed previously. ⋯ Non-Hispanic black patients wait longer for ED care than whites primarily because of where they receive that care. ED volume may explain some across-ED differences.