title: Racial and ethnic disparities in the outcomes of elderly home care recipients.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine racial/ethnic disparities in functional outcomes of elderly home health care recipients. Analyses were conducted using Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) data for a nationally representative sample of home health care episodes for patients aged 65 and older. Risk-adjusted regression analyses examined the association between race/ethnicity and functional outcomes. Fourteen outcome measures reflected improvement in specific functional areas (e.g., ambulation) and two reflected overall functional change. Non-Hispanic Whites (Whites) experienced substantially better functional outcomes than did home health care recipients of other racial/ethnic backgrounds. The disparity in outcomes was most pronounced between Whites and African Americans.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Services Research, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Aurora, CO 80011-5704, USA. Angela.Brega@UCHSC.edu
authors.forename: Angela G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Brega
authors.forename: Glenn K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Goodrich
authors.forename: Martha C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grigsby
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006304:Health Status; D018574:Home Care Agencies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States