We all know going to the doctor is important, especially after a hospital visit. But some people aren’t doing that. This is especially true for adults who have both Type 2 diabetes and heart failure.
It’s even worse for people who are Black or Hispanic. This story will tell you about a study that looked at this issue.
The Study and Its Findings
A research paper was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. This paper was all about how adults with diabetes and heart failure are treated in Alabama, a state in the United States.
The researchers were interested in people who had Medicaid, which is a program that helps pay for medical costs for some people with low income or certain disabilities.
What the researchers did was look at information from Medicaid for a whole decade, from 2010 to 2019. They studied over 9,800 adults who had Type 2 diabetes and heart failure for the first time.
Most of these people were about 54 years old, and many had a disability. Almost half of them were Black. They lived in both cities and countryside.
Doctors say that anyone who leaves the hospital after being treated for heart failure should see a doctor again within seven to 14 days.
But, the researchers found that more than half of the people they studied didn’t do this. Black, Hispanic, American Indian, Pacific Islander and Asian adults were even less likely to go for their check-ups.
And when they did go, it usually happened a couple of days later than white adults.
Why Does This Happen?
According to Dr. Yulia Khodneva, the main person behind the study, the results point to a couple of big problems. One is that patients don’t always get the right care when moving from hospital to home.
Another is racism, which can sometimes affect how health care works. Dr. Khodneva is a doctor and professor at the University of Alabama School of Medicine.
About one-third of the people who didn’t see a doctor right away did so later, between three weeks to two months after leaving the hospital.
But, almost 27 out of 100 didn’t see a doctor even two months after leaving the hospital.
Those who didn’t visit a health clinic within two months after leaving the hospital were more likely to be men. They were also more likely to be Black, Hispanic, American Indian, Pacific Islander, or Asian.
What Can We Do?
Dr. Khodneva says the results of the study show we need to do better. We need to find better ways to care for people with Type 2 diabetes and heart failure.
This is especially true for people with Medicaid and people of races and ethnicities that don’t get as much representation.
Type 2 diabetes can increase the chance of getting heart failure. It’s a problem that can be worse for people who don’t have much money. Other studies have shown this too.
It’s important to note that this study only looked at people in Alabama who had Medicaid.
The researchers didn’t compare their results to people with other types of insurance or those without any insurance. Because of this, the results may not be true for the whole country.
But Dr. Khodneva is hopeful. She says that this study may lead to more research that will help us understand why these racial differences exist.
And with that understanding, we might be able to create ways to make sure these patients get the check-ups they need after leaving the hospital.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about Vitamin D and type2 diabetes, and what you need to know about avocado and type 2 diabetes.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about potatoes and high blood pressure, and results showing 6 best breads for people with heart disease.
The study is published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
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