Impact of Socio-demographic Characteristics on Time in Outpatient Cardiology Clinics: A Retrospective Analysis
Inequitable access to health services influences health outcomes. Some studies have found patients of lower socio-economic status (SES) wait longer for surgery, but little data exist on access to outpatient services. This study analyzed patient-level data from outpatient public cardiology clinics an...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580231159491 |
| _version_ | 1827988903823409152 |
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| author | Daniel McIntyre BMedSc, MD Simone Marschner MSc Aravinda Thiagalingam MBBS, FRACP, PhD David Pryce B App Sci Clara K. Chow MBBS, FRACP, PhD |
| author_facet | Daniel McIntyre BMedSc, MD Simone Marschner MSc Aravinda Thiagalingam MBBS, FRACP, PhD David Pryce B App Sci Clara K. Chow MBBS, FRACP, PhD |
| author_sort | Daniel McIntyre BMedSc, MD |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Inequitable access to health services influences health outcomes. Some studies have found patients of lower socio-economic status (SES) wait longer for surgery, but little data exist on access to outpatient services. This study analyzed patient-level data from outpatient public cardiology clinics and assessed whether low SES patients spend longer accessing ambulatory services. Retrospective analysis of cardiology clinic encounters across 3 public hospitals between 2014 and 2019 was undertaken. Data were linked to age, gender, Indigenous status, country of birth, language spoken at home, number of comorbidities, and postcode. A cox proportional hazards model was applied adjusting for visit type (new/follow up), clinic, and referral source. Higher hazard ratio (HR) indicates shorter clinic time. Overall, 22 367 patients were included (mean [SD] age 61.4 [15.2], 14 925 (66.7%) male). Only 7823 (35.0%) were born in Australia and 8452 (37.8%) were in the lowest SES quintile. Median total clinic time was 84 min (IQR 58-130). Visit type, clinic, and referral source were associated with clinic time (R 2 = 0.23, 0.35, 0.20). After adjusting for these variables, older patients spent longer in clinic (HR 0.94 [0.90-0.97]), though there was no difference according to SES (HR 1.02 [0.99-1.06]) or other variables of interest. Time spent attending an outpatient clinic is substantial, amplifying an already significant time burden faced by patients with chronic health conditions. SES was not associated with longer clinic time in our analysis. Time spent in clinics could be used more productively to optimize care, improve health outcomes and patient experience. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T00:10:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-36cfe36f8d3e4c9ca1d3bf822fbf7a27 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0046-9580 1945-7243 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T00:10:49Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| spelling | doaj.art-36cfe36f8d3e4c9ca1d3bf822fbf7a272023-03-16T09:03:28ZengSAGE PublishingInquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing0046-95801945-72432023-03-016010.1177/00469580231159491Impact of Socio-demographic Characteristics on Time in Outpatient Cardiology Clinics: A Retrospective AnalysisDaniel McIntyre BMedSc, MD0Simone Marschner MSc1Aravinda Thiagalingam MBBS, FRACP, PhD2David Pryce B App Sci3Clara K. Chow MBBS, FRACP, PhD4Westmead Applied Research Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, AustraliaWestmead Applied Research Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, AustraliaWestmead Hospital, Sydney, AustraliaWestmead Hospital, Sydney, AustraliaWestmead Hospital, Sydney, AustraliaInequitable access to health services influences health outcomes. Some studies have found patients of lower socio-economic status (SES) wait longer for surgery, but little data exist on access to outpatient services. This study analyzed patient-level data from outpatient public cardiology clinics and assessed whether low SES patients spend longer accessing ambulatory services. Retrospective analysis of cardiology clinic encounters across 3 public hospitals between 2014 and 2019 was undertaken. Data were linked to age, gender, Indigenous status, country of birth, language spoken at home, number of comorbidities, and postcode. A cox proportional hazards model was applied adjusting for visit type (new/follow up), clinic, and referral source. Higher hazard ratio (HR) indicates shorter clinic time. Overall, 22 367 patients were included (mean [SD] age 61.4 [15.2], 14 925 (66.7%) male). Only 7823 (35.0%) were born in Australia and 8452 (37.8%) were in the lowest SES quintile. Median total clinic time was 84 min (IQR 58-130). Visit type, clinic, and referral source were associated with clinic time (R 2 = 0.23, 0.35, 0.20). After adjusting for these variables, older patients spent longer in clinic (HR 0.94 [0.90-0.97]), though there was no difference according to SES (HR 1.02 [0.99-1.06]) or other variables of interest. Time spent attending an outpatient clinic is substantial, amplifying an already significant time burden faced by patients with chronic health conditions. SES was not associated with longer clinic time in our analysis. Time spent in clinics could be used more productively to optimize care, improve health outcomes and patient experience.https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580231159491 |
| spellingShingle | Daniel McIntyre BMedSc, MD Simone Marschner MSc Aravinda Thiagalingam MBBS, FRACP, PhD David Pryce B App Sci Clara K. Chow MBBS, FRACP, PhD Impact of Socio-demographic Characteristics on Time in Outpatient Cardiology Clinics: A Retrospective Analysis Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| title | Impact of Socio-demographic Characteristics on Time in Outpatient Cardiology Clinics: A Retrospective Analysis |
| title_full | Impact of Socio-demographic Characteristics on Time in Outpatient Cardiology Clinics: A Retrospective Analysis |
| title_fullStr | Impact of Socio-demographic Characteristics on Time in Outpatient Cardiology Clinics: A Retrospective Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of Socio-demographic Characteristics on Time in Outpatient Cardiology Clinics: A Retrospective Analysis |
| title_short | Impact of Socio-demographic Characteristics on Time in Outpatient Cardiology Clinics: A Retrospective Analysis |
| title_sort | impact of socio demographic characteristics on time in outpatient cardiology clinics a retrospective analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580231159491 |
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