Otolaryngology Care Disparities in American Indian Populations

TL;DR

This study shows that American Indian populations face significant geographic disparities in access to otolaryngology care compared to non-AI areas.

Contribution

The paper is the first to explore geographic barriers to otolaryngology care in American Indian populations.

Findings

There is a statistically significant difference in ENT provider concentration between AI and non-AI areas.

AI areas have 0.409 providers per 100,000 patients, while non-AI areas have 2.233 providers per 100,000 patients.

Abstract

Our objectives were to quantify geographical disparities in otolaryngology care access with respect to American Indian (AI) populations and to identify gaps in care. Although increased incidence and mortality rates of ear, nose, and throat (ENT) conditions in AI populations are well documented, few studies address factors contributing to these differential outcomes. We conducted a cross‐sectional study of US states with AI areas that either met the population threshold for the American Community Survey annual estimate or annual supplemental estimate. A 2‐tailed t test was used to compare the geographic distribution of ENT providers practicing within AI areas against non‐AI areas, showing a statistically significant difference (P < .001) in the concentration of providers (0.409 vs 2.233 providers per 100,000 patients). To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore geographic barriers contributing to AI disparities within otolaryngology.

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