Featured Studies Highlight #2: Racial/Ethnic Disparities in End-of-life Care
STUDY TITLE: INVESTIGATING MULTI-LEVEL DETERMINANTS OF RACIAL/ETHNIC DISPARITIES IN QUALITY OF END-OF-LIFE CARE FOR VETERANS
STUDY OVERVIEW:
Racial and ethnic disparities have been robustly found within healthcare, but whether these disparities exist within end-of-life care is not currently understood. This exploratory story seeks to use data from the majority of inpatient deaths from 142 veteran affairs medical centers from 2011 to 2015.
STUDY PURPOSE:
While there is equal use of hospice and palliative care services across racial/ethnic groups, preliminary work suggests that significant racial/ethnic disparities exist in the perception of end-of-life care. To better understand and address these disparities, the key contributing differences in care patterns and processes need to be identified. The current literature has indicated that the organization of nursing care may play a key role in moderating these racial/ethnic disparities within the healthcare system, but this relationship has not been explored within end-of-life care.
GOALS/OBJECTIVES:
To identify if racial/ethnic disparities exist in end-of-life care, and if so, what variables contribute to these disparities, data on end-of-life care patterns will be reviewed from a large, diverse sample including 46,000 individuals across 142 veteran affairs medical centers. Firstly, whether the perception of end-of-life care varies across racial/ethnic groups will determine whether these disparities in the healthcare system are also found in end-of-life care. Secondly, if these disparities do exist, the relationship between end-of-life care patterns and nursing organization and the resultant perception of end-of-life care will address what specifically contributes to these disparities.
STUDY RESULTS:
Results from this study have not yet been reported.
HOW DOES THIS IMPACT VETERANS?
As the Veteran population within the United State of America continues to grow in age and diversity, greater focus on care at the end of life is needed. Understanding possible disparities in this care, and how they can be addressed, is critical to creating successful end-of-life care practices within veteran affairs medical centers.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SOCIAL DETERMINANTS ON HEALTH:
Visit Dr. Ann Kutney-Lee’s page at the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP).
Additionally, on Thursday, March 25th 2021 at 10:00am the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP) is holding a virtual research townhall with keynote speaker Eugene Marsh presenting “Social factors that determine veteran health”.
