Editorial Commentary: Health Care Disparities Adversely Affect Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Patients.

Abstract

Disparities in health care adversely affect socioeconomically disadvantaged patients. Social determinants of health, including black race, Hispanic ethnicity, public health insurance, and lower socioeconomic status contribute to a delay in access to care for anterior cruciate ligament-injured patients, which may result in increased severity of concomitant knee meniscal and cartilage injuries and inferior outcomes. Surgeons should evaluate their practice settings and patterns and seek to mitigate this risk. The use of standardized practice protocols and individual patient education can minimize disparities in outcomes due to socioeconomic variables. Implementing health literacy, fostering close therapeutic relations, and ensuring accessibility, particularly for underinsured patients, can reduce complications and readmissions. The issue is understudied. Reporting of sex, age, and body mass index is common, but race and ethnicity are less frequently reported; and insurance status, employment status, education level, and socioeconomic status are only minimally reported. Finally, the area deprivation index is a free, validated online tool (with high internal and external validity) to determine patients' levels of socioeconomic disadvantage.