Findings from Rutgers University Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Update Knowledge of Epilepsy (Health Insurance and Transportation Barriers Impact Access To Epilepsy Care In the United States): Central Nervous System Diseases and Conditions – Epilepsy

2024 SEP 10 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Fresh data on Central Nervous System Diseases and Conditions - Epilepsy are presented in a new report. According to news reporting originating from New Brunswick, New Jersey, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Inconsistent access to healthcare for people with epilepsy results in reduced adherence to antiseizure medications, increased seizure frequency, and fewer appropriate referrals for epilepsy surgery. Identifying and addressing factors that impede access to care should consequently improve patient outcomes.”

Financial supporters for this research include American Epilepsy Society, New Jersey Health Foundation, Resource Center for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research in Asian and Pacific Americans under NIH/NIA, NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA).

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from Rutgers University Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, “We hypothesized that health insurance and transportation affect access to outpatient neurology care for adults living with epilepsy in the United States (US). We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of US adults with active epilepsy surveyed via the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) in 2015 and 2017. We established whether patients reported seeing a neurologist in the past year and used multiple logistic regression to determine whether health insurance status and transportation access were associated with this outcome. We identified 735 respondents from 2015 and 2017, representing an estimated 2.98 million US adults with active epilepsy. After adjusting for socioeconomic and seizure-related co-variates, we found that a lack of health insurance coverage was associated with no epilepsy care in the past year (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.22; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.09 - 0.54). Delayed care due to inadequate transportation (aOR 0.42; 95% CI: 0.19 - 0.93) also resulted in reduced patient access to a neurologist. Due to the inherent nature of their condition, people with epilepsy are less likely to have employersponsored health insurance or consistent driving privileges. Yet, these factors also impact patient access to neurological care.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “We must address transportation and insurance barriers through long-term investment and partnership between community, healthcare, and government stakeholders.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Health Insurance and Transportation Barriers Impact Access To Epilepsy Care In the United States. Epilepsy Research, 2024;205. Epilepsy Research can be contacted at: Elsevier, Radarweg 29, 1043 Nx Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Epilepsy Research - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/epilepsy-research/)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Brad K. Kamitaki, Rutgers University Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Dept. of Neurology, 125 Paterson St, Suite 6200, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States. Additional authors for this research include Shelly Maniar, Raaga Rambhatla, Kelly Gao, Joel C. Cantor, Hyunmi Choi and Michelle T. Bover Manderski.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2024.107424. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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