Barriers to Healthcare Access and Long-Term Survival After an Acute Coronary Syndrome.

BACKGROUND

Barriers to healthcare are common in the USA and may result in worse outcomes among hospital survivors of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

OBJECTIVE

To examine the relationship between barriers to healthcare and 2-year mortality after hospital discharge for an ACS.

DESIGN

Longitudinal study.

SETTING

Survivors of an ACS hospitalization were recruited from 6 medical centers in central Massachusetts and Georgia in 2011-2013.

PATIENTS

Study participants with a confirmed ACS reported whether they had a financial-related healthcare barrier, no usual source of care, or a transportation-related healthcare barrier around the time of hospital admission.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS

Cox regression analyses calculated adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for 2-year all-cause mortality for the three healthcare barriers while controlling for several demographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics.

RESULTS

The mean age of study participants (n = 2008) was 62 years, 33% were women, and 77% were non-Hispanic white. One third of patients reported a financial barrier, 17% lacked a usual source of care, and 12% had a transportation barrier. Five percent (n = 100) died within 2 years after hospital discharge. Compared to patients without these barriers, those lacking a usual source of care and with barriers to transportation experienced significantly higher mortality (aHRs 1.40, 95% CI 1.30 to 1.51 and 1.46, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.89, respectively). Financial barriers were not associated with all-cause mortality (aHR 0.79, 95% CI 0.60 to 1.06).

LIMITATIONS

Observational study with other unmeasured potentially confounding prognostic factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Absence of an established usual source of care and inconsistent transportation availability were associated with a higher risk for dying after an ACS. Patients with these barriers to follow-up care may benefit from more intensive follow-up and support.