Racial Disparities in the Development of Dysphagia after Stroke
We are conducting a case-control study using the Medical Information Reporting for California (MIRCal) and the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) databases for the year 2002 to describe the relationship between race and dysphagia after stroke. Given that racial disparities have been identified in stroke incidence, severity, and mortality, it is important to determine if key risk factors for stroke survival occur differentially among racial groups. our hypothesis is that the proportion of stroke patients experiencing dysphagia differs among racial groups and that this relationship is partially explained by stroke type and severity.
The MIRCal database collects data on every inpatient discharged in the state. The data collected includes demographic characteristics such as age, sex, county of residence, race and ethnicity as well as international classification of disease version 9 (ICD9) diagnostic codes, procedure codes, external source of injury codes and total charges with expected source of payment (http://www.oshpd.ca.gov/MIRCal/programs/IP/patmanuals/pd3/ Part5.pdf)
SPARCS currently collects data on patient characteristics, diagnoses and treatments, services, and charges for every hospital discharge, ambulatory surgery patient, and emergency department admission in New York State (http://www.health.state.ny.us/ statistics/sparcs/index.htm).
Identifying racial groups at higher risk could dictate changes in health care planning and delivery for those groups in the United States.
