Disparities in concussion diagnoses compared to ankle injuries

AbstractBackgroundHealth disparities related to concussions have been reported in the literature for certain minority populations. Given the significant impact of concussions on long‐ and short‐term function, the mitigation of barriers to accessing care is an important public health objective.ObjectiveTo determine if racial and ethnic disparities exist in patients who seek care for concussions compared to a control group with orthopedic ankle injuries (sprains and fractures) to minimize confounding factors that predispose to injury.DesignCohort study.SettingSingle institution between February 2016 and December 2020.PatientsA retrospective review of electronic medical records was completed for patients with International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD‐10) diagnosis codes for concussion, ankle sprain, and ankle fracture. A total of 10,312 patients were identified: 1568 (15.2%) with concussion, 4871 (47.3%) with ankle sprain, and 3863 (37.5%) with ankle fracture.InterventionsPatients were stratified by demographic factors, including sex, ethnicity, race, and insurance type.Main Outcome MeasuresDiagnosis of concussion.ResultsThe concussion group was the youngest (28.3 years ± 18.0) and had the fewest females (53.1%) compared to the ankle sprain (35.1 years ± 19.7; 58.7%) and fracture groups (44.1 years ± 21.3; 57.3%). The concussion group had a smaller proportion of Hispanic patients than the ankle sprain group (odds ratio [OR] 0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.55–0.92, p = .010) and fracture group (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.44–0.75, p = <.001). In addition, the concussion group was less likely to be Asian (OR 0.70, CI 0.52–0.95, p = .023) than the sprain group and less likely to be Black/African American than both sprain (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.46–0.93, p = .017) and fracture groups (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.43–0.89, p = .010). There were no differences across racial groups between ankle sprains and fractures. Patients with Medicaid/Medicare and self‐pay had a higher likelihood of being in the concussion group than those with private insurance.ConclusionDifferences in concussion diagnosis may exist between certain demographic groups compared to those with ankle injuries. Efforts to mitigate disparities in concussion care are worthwhile with a focus on patient and caregiver education.