Identifying racial disparities in care for children with spastic cerebral palsy: A single center study.

Abstract

Purpose: Existing evidence identifies racial and ethnic disparities impacting the prevalence and severity of cerebral palsy (CP). There is a paucity of literature examining the impact on associated treatment.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, an institutional database search identified outpatient encounters for pediatric patients with spastic CP. Additional filters were used to determine treatments received. For each treatment, the proportion of African American (AA) patients receiving treatment was compared to the proportion of Caucasian (C) patients receiving the same treatment.

Results: 3,686 children with spastic CP were seen in outpatient clinics associated with an academic tertiary hospital over a 21-year period. There was no significant difference between the proportion of any treatment compared to the entire sample for AA or C patients.

Conclusion: In this sample, there was no significant evidence of a racial disparity for AA patients receiving treatments for spasticity. This data is limited by several factors. Further research is needed to determine whether pediatric patients with disabilities are receiving equitable care. Clinicians should consider systematically monitoring their practices to identify areas of bias or inequity in accessing care.