Emergency versus Outpatient Care for Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis: A Population-Based Study of Sociodemographic Factors and Health Care Utilization.

Abstract

To examine sociodemographic differences in pediatric atopic dermatitis (AD) visits between emergency and outpatient settings. We used the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey to identify emergency and outpatient visits for pediatric AD patients from 2009-2016 to 2018-2019. We identified 16 712 960 visits for pediatric AD (weighted). We identified differences in race/ethnicity and payment source between emergency and outpatient pediatric AD visits. In emergency settings, more pediatric AD visits were for Hispanic patients and patients with public insurance. In outpatient settings, more pediatric AD visits were for non-Hispanic White patients and patients with private insurance. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that pediatric AD patients seen in emergency settings were over 5 times more likely to be Hispanic than non-Hispanic White (aOR 5.34, P < .01) and over 5 times more likely to have public insurance than private insurance (aOR 5.21, P < .01). Pediatric AD patients seen in emergency settings were more likely to be Hispanic and have public insurance. Future research may explore how to improve health care access and utilization for all pediatric AD patients.