Abstract 13115: Impact of Socioeconomic Status and Remoteness of Residence on Access to Cardiac Care for Pediatric Heart Disease in Alberta, a Jurisdiction of Universal and Centralized Cardiac Healthcare

Abstract

Introduction: Socioeconomic status (SES) and remoteness of residence (RoR) impact access to care and outcomes in congenital (CHD) and acquired (AHD) pediatric heart disease. Whether the universal, centralized Canadian healthcare system mitigates such inequities is unclear. We examined associations between SES and RoR on age at cardiac diagnosis (ACD), time to first intervention (TFI), and annual primary care (PCV) and cardiology (CV) visits as evidence of healthcare access in Alberta. Methods: All children born and diagnosed in Alberta with CHD or AHD from 2005-2017 were included. CHD was classified as mild, moderate, and severe base on the Bethesda Task Force definitions. Geospatial modelling was used to determine drive times (<60, 60-180, >180 minutes) to 1 of 2 provincial cardiac programs. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to examine relationships between RoR and SES with ACD and TFI, and Poisson models using generalized estimating equations for annual PCV and CV. Results: Of 12,542 children, 9347 had mild, 1733 moderate and 717 severe CHD and 745 AHD. Most (8,833, 70.4%) lived <60 minutes to a cardiac center, and the largest proportion were in SES quintile 1 (least vulnerable, 3,074, 24.5%) and smallest in quintile 5 (most vulnerable, 2003, 16.0%). Median ACD was 1(IQR 0-108) days for mild, 0(0-54) days for moderate, and 0(0-0) days for severe CHD, and 340(41-1312) days for AHD. Intervention occurred in 1086(62.7%) with moderate CHD (TFI 63(7-150) days), 588(82.0%) with severe CHD (11(5-58) days), and 42 with AHD (1828(793-2866) days). ACD was impacted slightly by SES and only in AHD (Table). TFI and PCVs were not impacted by RoR or SES. Finally, CVs were inversely related to RoR for CHD and AHD. Conclusions: In Alberta, SES and RoR do not importantly impact ACD, TFI and PCVs among CHD and AHD patients. Greater RoR but not SES, however, is associated with fewer annual CVs, suggesting a need to optimize cardiac outreach services.