Socioeconomic variables may impact patient outcomes following multiligament knee injury
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Key takeaways:
- Race, ethnicity, education level and household income impacted patient outcomes after multiligament knee injury.
- Hispanic patients were less likely to return to work vs. patients who were not Hispanic.
DENVER — Results presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting showed socioeconomic variables may impact patient outcomes following multiligament knee injury.
“Patients with lower incomes, those who did not graduate from college and those who are Hispanic and non-white had worse patient-reported outcomes following surgery for [multiligament knee injury] MLKI,” Isabel Chalem, BS, of NYU Langone Health, said in her presentation.
Chalem and colleagues retrospectively reviewed electronic medical record data from 45 patients who were treated for multiligament knee injuries between 2013 and 2023.
Patient-reported outcomes measured included IKDC scores, Lysholm scores, VAS pain scores, Tegner activity scores and return to work and sport status at a median follow-up of 4 years. The cohort also completed a socioeconomic status questionnaire assessing race, ethnicity, marital status, household size, household income, education level and employment status.
“For analysis, descriptive statistics were used to characterize patient demographic and socioeconomic variables,” Chalem said. “We used binary categories. For example, white vs. non-white and Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic.”
She added, “Return to work was calculated for the 25 patients who completed the return to activity survey and worked prior to injury.”
According to Chalem, patients who were non-white, patients who identified as Hispanic, patients without a college degree and patients classified as low income (household income of less than $40,000 annually) had significantly lower IKDC scores. In addition, Chalem said a multilinear regression analysis controlling for Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic ethnicity showed low income was associated with a 25.7% decrease in IKDC scores.
According to Chalem, Hispanic patients were also less likely return to work following multiligament knee injuries vs. non-Hispanic patients.
“Surgeons should work to mitigate the risks associated with treating patients who have limited resources and be able to support diverse backgrounds,” Chalem said.
She added, “Further studies may expand upon our work by examining the interaction of multiple socioeconomic variables and larger cohorts, as well as testing interventions to improve outcomes in disadvantaged populations.”
Collapse
Chalem I, et al. Paper 7. Presented at: American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting; July 10-14, 2024; Denver.
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts