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Assessing Systems of Care for US Children with Epilepsy/Seizure Disorder

Mary Kay Kenney1, Marie Mann

  • 1Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rm 18-41, Rockville, MD 20857, USA.

Epilepsy Research and Treatment
|November 15, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Children with epilepsy/seizure disorder have lower access to high-quality health services, including medical homes and community care. This highlights a need for improved healthcare systems for these children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health Services Research
  • Neurology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Examined healthcare quality for US children with special health care needs (CSHCN) with epilepsy/seizure disorder.
  • Compared CSHCN with and without epilepsy/seizure disorder regarding access to high-quality health services.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the proportion of CSHCN with epilepsy/seizure disorder receiving care within high-quality health service systems.
  • To identify disparities in healthcare attainment and unmet needs for CSHCN with epilepsy/seizure disorder.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzed data from 40,242 CSHCN using the 2009-2010 National Survey of CSHCN.
  • Utilized chi-square and logistic regression to compare attainment rates for 6 federal quality indicators.
  • Assessed 14 unmet healthcare needs for CSHCN with and without epilepsy/seizure disorder.

Main Results:

  • CSHCN with epilepsy/seizure disorder had lower attainment rates for medical home (32% vs. 43%) and accessible community services (50% vs. 66%).
  • Lower adjusted odds for these indicators were observed for CSHCN with epilepsy/seizure disorder.
  • Greater unmet needs were reported for specialists, dentistry, prescriptions, therapies, and mental health care.

Conclusions:

  • Significant disparities exist in healthcare quality and access for CSHCN with epilepsy/seizure disorder.
  • Further efforts are crucial to enhance the attainment of high-quality health care services for this population.
  • Addressing unmet needs in specialized care and essential services is paramount.

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