Racial and Ethnic Disparities Affect Access to IBD Care

A study published in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases investigated health care access, disease status, and outcomes among Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and Hispanic (BIPOC/H) individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) compared to White non-Hispanic (W/NH) individuals.

Conducted at a large US health system, the study used an anonymous online survey of patients with IBD treated between August 2019 and December 2021 at Ochsner Health. Data collected included symptoms, health care provider assessments, barriers to care, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), medication adherence, and beliefs about medication. Medical records were also analyzed for health care resource utilization, and comparisons between W/NH and BIPOC/H groups were performed using chi-square and t-tests.

The results showed that BIPOC/H patients faced more challenges accessing IBD specialists (26% vs. 11%) and reported poorer symptom control (35% vs. 18%) compared to their W/NH counterparts. Additionally, BIPOC/H patients had lower HRQoL scores (41 ± 14 vs. 49 ± 13), more negative impacts on employment (50% vs. 33%), and worse financial stability (53% vs. 32%). They also experienced greater difficulty finding social and emotional support for their condition (64% vs. 37%) and used emergency department services more frequently (42% vs. 22%). BIPOC/H patients expressed more concerns about their medications, with higher scores related to worries about medication harm (19.5% vs. 17.7%).

Overall, BIPOC/H IBD patients reported worse clinical outcomes, greater concerns about medications, and more significant barriers to care compared to W/NH patients. They also had less access to specialized care and support services, highlighting disparities in health care access and outcomes for minority populations with IBD.

Reference

Shah S, Shillington AC, Kabagambe EK, et al. Racial and ethnic disparities in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: an online survey. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. 2023;30(9):1467-1474. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/ibd/izad194