New research that will be presented at AMCP 2024 delves into the disparities in resource use and clinical outcomes among US patients with pneumonia, COPD, and lung cancer, shedding light on the impact of health inequalities on access to care and treatment.

Health inequalities across ethnicities, races, and sex, can restrict care availability of care and treatment and, subsequently, health outcomes in patients with lung disease. This study was designed to gather insights into disparities in resource use and clinical outcomes of US patients with pneumonia, chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD), and lung cancer. 

The retrospective study was conducted using the Optum deidentified Market Clarity Dataset, including adult patients with pneumonia, COPD, or lung cancer diagnoses from 2018 to 2021. The index date was defined as the first diagnosis of pneumonia, COPD, or lung cancer. Patients with no prior diagnoses of these conditions within the preceding 12 months were included in the study. Follow-up for 12 months examined disparities in disease-specific resource use based on sex and racial/ethnic backgrounds. The study focused on factors such as vaccines, counseling, antibiotics, and anticancer treatment timing.

Among patients with pneumonia, fewer male and Black patients received the pneumococcal or influenza vaccine. The COPD cohort saw a lower rate of smoking cessation counseling among female and White patients, but more of these patients received the vaccines. Similarly, in the lung cancer cohort, fewer male and Black patients received vaccines, while more White, male patients received anticancer treatment. Black and male patients in all 3 cohorts had higher use of inpatient services. Future analysis will examine vaccination status, ICU care, mechanical ventilation use, and clinical outcomes across race, sex, and insurance type.

“There are varied sex and racial and ethnic disparities in resource use of acute and chronic lung diseases,” concluded researchers. 

Reference
Daral S, Sharma S, Markan R, et al. Disparity in treatment patterns of patients with lung diseases in the United States. J Manag Care Spec Pharm. 2024;30(4-a suppl):S76-77. AMCP 2024 poster abstract.