5. Impact of racial and ethnic disparities on health outcomes following cervical spine surgery

Abstract

<h3>BACKGROUND CONTEXT</h3> Evidence suggests that Black non-Hispanic individuals are 39% to 44% more likely to have postoperative complications and prolonged length of stay after cervical spine surgery compared to White non-Hispanics. The long-term recovery of patient-reported health outcomes after cervical spine surgery among Hispanic and other non-Hispanic minorities (ie, Asian) remains unclear. Examining the postoperative recovery trajectory of Hispanic, Asian non-Hispanic, and Black non-Hispanic populations is important for identifying whether strategies are needed to reduce outcome disparities. <h3>PURPOSE</h3> The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of race and ethnicity with patient-reported health outcomes after cervical spine surgery. <h3>STUDY DESIGN/SETTING</h3> Retrospective analysis of data from the cervical module of a national spine registry, the Quality Outcomes Database (QOD). <h3>PATIENT SAMPLE</h3> Data from 14,136 QOD participants (mean±SD; age=56.8±11.5 years; BMI=30.2±6.4 kg/m2 and 49% females) across 28 states in the Unites States who underwent elective surgery for degenerative cervical spine disease and completed 1-year follow-up were analyzed. Participants self-identified as Hispanic (n=343), non-Hispanic Black (n=1,191), Asian (n=112) or White (n=12,490). <h3>OUTCOME MEASURES</h3> Patient-reported outcome measures (PROs) were used for assessing disability (Neck Disability Index: NDI), neck and arm pain (11-point Numeric Rating Scale), and health-related quality of life (EuroQol EQ-5D) at the preoperative and 1-year time point after surgery. Minimal symptom state at 1-year was defined as achieving a score of ≤20 on NDI, and neck and arm pain scores ≤2. Satisfaction was assessed using a single item question at 1-year after surgery (NASS scale). <h3>METHODS</h3> Multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted to compute effect estimates 95% confidence interval (CI) to determine the association of racial/ethnic groups with PROs. Covariates included sociodemographic items (eg, age, sex, BMI, insurance, education, employment status), US census regions, surgical variables (eg, surgical approach, pathology), opioid use and preop PROs. Multiple imputation using predictive mean matching was used to impute missing demographic characteristics (<5% missing). <h3>RESULTS</h3> Of the 14,136 participants, 48% achieved minimal symptom state at 1-year. Black non-Hispanic had 57% (odds ratio [95%CI]: 1.57 [1.37, 1.81]) and Hispanics had 31% (1.31 [1.02, 1.69]) higher odds of not achieving minimal symptom state at 1-year follow-up compared to White non-Hispanic. Similar findings for Black or Hispanics vs White groups were observed for other PROs and satisfaction. There were no differences in any outcome measures between Asian and White. <h3>CONCLUSIONS</h3> Comparatively, White and Asian groups did not have increased likelihood, but Hispanics and Black groups did have increased likelihood of reporting poor outcomes following cervical spine surgery, even after adjusting for potential confounders. The findings of this study suggest the need to account for inherent racial and ethnic disparities to better understand the recovery trajectories following cervical spine surgery. Also, strategies to minimize racial and ethnic disparities are needed to ensure equitable access to postoperative care in this surgical population. <h3>FDA DEVICE/DRUG STATUS</h3> This abstract does not discuss or include any applicable devices or drugs.