Racial/Ethnic Differences in Health Care Visits Made Before Suicide Attempt Across the United States. Issue 5 (May 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ahmedani, Brian K.; Stewart, Christine; Simon, Gregory E.; Lynch, Frances; Lu, Christine Y.; Waitzfelder, Beth E.; Solberg, Leif I.; Owen-Smith, Ashli A.; Beck, Arne; Copeland, Laurel A.; Hunkeler, Enid M.; Rossom, Rebecca C.; Williams, Keoki
• Is Part Of: Medical care. Volume 53:Issue 5(2015)
• Publication Date: 2015-05
• Subjects: Economics, Medical -- Periodicals; Insurance, Health -- Periodicals; Santé, Services de -- Administration -- Périodiques; Soins médicaux -- Périodiques; Medical economics -- Periodicals; Health insurance -- Periodicals; Medical economics -- United States -- Periodicals; Health insurance -- United States -- Periodicals; Comprehensive Health Care -- Periodicals; Personal Health Services -- Periodicals; Gezondheidszorg; Économie de la santé -- Périodiques; Santé, Services de -- Périodiques; Health insurance; Medical economics; United States; Periodicals; 362.10973
• DOI: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000000335
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0025-7079

Abstract

<abstract> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec> <title>Background:</title> <p>Suicide is a public health concern, but little is known about the patterns of health care visits made before a suicide attempt, and whether those patterns differ by race/ethnicity.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Objectives:</title> <p>To examine racial/ethnic variation in the types of health care visits made before a suicide attempt, when those visits occur, and whether mental health or substance use diagnoses were documented.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Research Design:</title> <p>Retrospective, longitudinal study, 2009–2011.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Participants:</title> <p>22, 387 individuals who attempted suicide and were enrolled in the health plan across 10 health systems in the Mental Health Research Network.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Measures:</title> <p>Cumulative percentage of different types of health care visits made in the 52 weeks before a suicide attempt, by self-reported racial/ethnicity and diagnosis. Data were from the Virtual Data Warehouse at each site.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Results:</title> <p>Over 38% of the individuals made any health care visit within the week before their suicide attempt and ∼95% within the preceding year; these percentages varied across racial/ethnic groups (<italic>P</italic><0.001). White individuals had the highest percentage of visits (>41%) within 1 week of suicide attempt. Asian Americans were the least likely to make visits within 52 weeks. Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders had proportionally the most inpatient and emergency visits before an attempt, but were least likely to have a recorded mental health or substance use diagnosis. Overall, visits were most common in primary care and outpatient general medical settings.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Conclusions:</title> <p>This study provides temporal evidence of racial/ethnic differences in health care visits made before suicide attempt. Health care systems can use this information to help focus the design and implementation of their suicide prevention initiatives.</p> </sec> </abstract>