Significant racial and ethnic disparities exist in readmissions for childbirth procedures, authors of a Connecticut State Medical Society study said.
Compared with white women, black women were twice as likely and Hispanic women 40 percent to 50 percent more likely to be readmitted within 30 days of childbirth, according to the study, which is among the first to investigate disparities in hospital readmission among young, relatively healthy patients. Previous research examining racial and ethnic disparities in readmission have focused almost exclusively on conditions prevalent among the aged and infirm, CSMS said.
Original research data from the multiyear CSMS readmission disparities study was used in an article published in the November issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the journal of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, CSMS said Tuesday.
The study, “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Hospital Readmissions After Delivery,” was authored by CSMS members Drs. Mark DeFrancesco and Steven Fleischman; CSMS CEO Matthew Katz; and Robert Aseltine and Jun Yan of the Center for Public Health and Health Policy, University of Connecticut.
