Pain & Central Nervous System Week via NewsEdge :

2008 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to recent research from Calgary, Canada, "Epilepsy imposes a significant burden on society (see also Epilepsy). The objective of this study was to estimate health resource utilization (HRU) over a 1-year period in epilepsy patients, using administrative databases."

"Three administrative databases (inpatient, emergency, and physician claims) were used to identify epilepsy cases. HRU variables included general physician (GP) and emergency (ER) visits, physician billings, hospitalizations, and length of stay (LOS). Logistic regression was used to determine the association between demographic variables and HRU variations. Among the 1,431 patients with a mean age of 37.5 +/- 17.3 years, 56 (4%) were aboriginal. Ninety-six percent of patients saw a GP or a specialist (outpatient visit), 12% were hospitalized, and 8% visited the ER. Younger patients were more likely to see a neurologist (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.3-2.3), visit the ER (OR = 4.9, 95% CI 3.2-7.4), or be hospitalized (OR = 2.9, 95% CI 2.0-4.3). Females were less likely to see a GP but more likely to see a neurologist. Aboriginals were more likely than nonaboriginals to visit the ER (OR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.1-5.0) or be hospitalized (OR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.5-5.1) but less likely to see a neurologist (OR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.2-0.6). Welfare status and residence location (urban vs. rural) were not associated with HRU level. We demonstrated the feasibility of using administrative databases to assess HRU in epilepsy," wrote N. Jette and colleagues.

The researchers concluded: "We also uncovered disparities in HRU by age, gender, and by aboriginal status, suggesting possible internal or external barriers to specialized care in some groups."

Jette and colleagues published their study in Epilepsia (Health resource use in epilepsy: Significant disparities by age, gender, and aboriginal status. Epilepsia, 2008;49(4):586-593).

For additional information, contact N. Jette, Foothills Med Center, 1403-29th St. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 2T9, Canada.

Publisher contact information for the journal Epilepsia is: Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Rd., Oxford OX4 2DQ, Oxon, England.

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