Examining inequities related to inpatient hospital length of stay for breast cancer patients: A retrospective study during the COVID-19 pandemic
Cancer Research
; 82(4 SUPPL), 2022.
Article
in English
| EMBASE | ID: covidwho-1779489
ABSTRACT
Purpose:
In the state of Wisconsin, breast cancer patients from African American (AAs) communities have lower survival rates compared to their Caucasian counterparts. Multiple inequities related to sociodemographic factors, delays in diagnosis, advanced disease stage at presentation and presence of comorbidities including higher body mass index (BMI) contribute to these disparities, many of which have only widened during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined specific factors related to prolonged hospital length of stay (LOS) for breast cancer patients admitted to inpatient units during the pandemic.Methods:
This analysis includes initial CY20 LOS medical record data for hospitalized patients 18 years and older with a diagnosis of breast cancer from 1/1/2020-12/31/2020. Supplemental data included disease registry and diagnostic data, and SES data determined by patient zip code. Poisson regression models with robust standard errors were used to compare the LOS index (LOSi) between groups of patients based on race, SES group, primary payer, and BMI.Results:
A total of 272 patients with breast cancer that were admitted to inpatient oncology units were identified. Demographics included White (72.4%), Black (22.4%), and others (5.1%). Other characteristics included low SES (8.8%), medium-low (9.5%), medium (15.4%), medium-high (11.0%), high SES (4.4%), and others (non-SMilwaukee county) (50.7%), Medicaid (8.8%), Medicare (61.3%), Managed care (29.0%), and others (0.73%). Body mass varied among the patients;underweight (0.36%), overweight (30.8%), obese (41.5%). There were significant differences in LOSi Black (LOSi=1.24, p=0.01), medium-low SES (LOSi=1.46, p=0.02), Medicaid (LOSi=1.40, p=0.00), underweight (LOSi=1.66, p=0.00), and overweight (LOSi=1.23, p = 0.01) patients had slightly longer LOSi, with LOSi ratio above 1.Conclusion:
This study shows how patient-specific factors such as race, SES, primary payer, and BMI contribute to inpatient LOS for breast cancer patients. Healthcare systems may benefit by addressing indicators and patients' factors to reduce hospital LOS, and ultimately healthcare costs.
adult; body mass; breast cancer; cancer patient; conference abstract; controlled study; coronavirus disease 2019; demographics; disease registry; female; health care cost; health care system; hospital patient; human; length of stay; major clinical study; managed care; medicaid; medical record; medicare; obesity; pandemic; Poisson regression; race; retrospective study; underweight
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
EMBASE
Type of study:
Observational study
Language:
English
Journal:
Cancer Research
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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