Spine
-
Multicenter Study
Racial differences in the use of lumbar spine radiographs: results from the Veterans Health Study.
We analyzed data from the Veterans Health Study, a longitudinal study of male patients receiving VA ambulatory care. ⋯ There was greater use of lumbar spine radiographs by nonwhite patients compared with white patients. This remained true when patients were subcategorized by severity of LBP or SLR test. However, race had no influence when multiple clinical characteristics of the patients were controlled for simultaneously. This study demonstrates the importance of careful and comprehensive case-mix adjustment when assessing apparent differences in the use of medical services.