Abstracts

Health Disparities in Northeast Epilepsy Center Populations: A Pilot Approach to Improving Equity in the Epilepsy Learning Healthcare System

Abstract number : 3.564
Submission category : 13. Health Services (Delivery of Care, Access to Care, Health Care Models)
Year : 2024
Submission ID : 1657
Source : www.aesnet.org
Presentation date : 12/9/2024 12:00:00 AM
Published date :

Authors :
Presenting Author: Brandy Fureman, PhD – Epilepsy Foundation

Julianne Brooks, M.P.H. – Massachusetts General Hospital
Jeffrey Buchhalter, MD, PhD – University of Calgary
William Trescher, M.D. – Penn State Health
Jaclyn Tencer, M.D. – Penn State Health
Sara Molisani, M.D., MHQS – Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Shavonne Massey, MD, MSCE – Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Nicholas Abend, M.D., PhD – Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Sahar Zafar, M.D., MSc – Massachusetts General Hospital
Thometta Cozart, M.P.H., M.S. – Epilepsy Foundation
Brian Gilchrist, PhD, MPH – Epilepsy Foundation
Maria Donahue, MD – Massachusetts General Hospital
Lidia V.M.D. Moura, M.D., PhD, MPH – Massachusetts General Hospital

Rationale:

Health disparities (HD) among patients with epilepsy may create worse health outcomes for individuals belonging to race/ethnicity minority groups or low-income households, those living in rural areas, and individuals with opposite or non-binary gender preferences, including more mental health problems, more frequent emergency department visits, increased hospitalization rates, and increased risk of early death.

The Epilepsy Learning Healthcare System (ELHS) is a national quality improvement and research network.  ELHS centers collect demographics, social determinants of health (SDOH), and epilepsy outcomes for adults and children with epilepsy, thereby enabling a platform to conduct a wide range of quality improvement projects and research studies on epilepsy disparities.



Methods: We have begun a pilot study to identify and monitor disparities in health outcomes at three ELHS centers: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Penn State Health (PSH), and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The pilot aims to improve the collection of SDOH information in epilepsy center populations to identify, monitor, and compare outcomes across stratified groups for future studies assessing and reducing health disparities. We describe baseline data from three centers in the Northeast compared to the rest of the network centers (Tables 1 and 2).

Results: Results provided in Tables 1 and 2.

Conclusions: This preliminary investigation into health disparities in Northeast epilepsy clinic populations demonstrates feasibility of collecting the information needed to conduct future health disparity quality improvement and research studies.

Funding: Funding provided by the Epilepsy Foundation.

Health Services (Delivery of Care, Access to Care, Health Care Models)