Sociodemographic differences in diagnosis and treatment of pediatric headache

J Child Neurol. 2010 Apr;25(4):435-40. doi: 10.1177/0883073809343314. Epub 2009 Oct 6.

Abstract

The authors investigated the sociodemographic differences in receiving a headache diagnosis for pediatric health care visits using 2 nationally representative databases--the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. For those visits involving a headache diagnosis, the authors explored 2 possible disparities in care--being diagnosed by a neurologist and being prescribed an evidence-based medication. A headache diagnosis was less common during visits for private insurance patients versus Medicaid patients. In addition, while a headache diagnosis was equally likely for visits by Caucasian American children versus African American children and children of other races, visits for the latter 2 groups were less likely to involve a headache diagnosis from a neurologist. Finally, only 37% of the headache visits involved a prescription of an evidence-based medication. The authors conclude that some sociodemographic disparities exist in pediatric headache care across the United States.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Black or African American / statistics & numerical data
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Diagnostic Errors / statistics & numerical data*
  • Diagnostic Errors / trends
  • Drug Prescriptions / economics
  • Drug Prescriptions / statistics & numerical data
  • Early Diagnosis
  • Evidence-Based Medicine
  • Female
  • Headache Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Headache Disorders / economics
  • Headache Disorders / ethnology
  • Headache Disorders / therapy*
  • Health Services Accessibility / statistics & numerical data
  • Healthcare Disparities*
  • Humans
  • Insurance, Health / statistics & numerical data
  • Male
  • Medicaid / statistics & numerical data
  • Medicine / statistics & numerical data
  • Medicine / trends
  • Neurology / economics
  • Neurology / statistics & numerical data
  • Neurology / trends
  • Pediatrics / economics
  • Pediatrics / statistics & numerical data
  • Pediatrics / trends
  • Quality of Health Care / statistics & numerical data*
  • Quality of Health Care / trends
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • United States
  • White People / statistics & numerical data