Chronic Illness and Care - [Diabetes] Women's Health Highlights: Recent Findings (continued)

Women's Health Highlights: Recent Findings
Chronic Illness and Care
Some examples of chronic illnesses affecting women include diabetes, obesity, stroke, heart disease, hypertension, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, chronic pain, depression, and HIV/AIDS. There are many others, and they usually are long-lasting and affect all aspects of a woman's life. AHRQ researchers are seeking ways to help women understand and manage their chronic conditions and achieve a better quality of life.

Diabetes
•Report describes quality of care and outcomes for women with diabetes.
This report, prepared by AHRQ and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, presents measures for quality of care and outcomes for women with diabetes. It highlights where the American health care system excels with regard to diabetes care and where the greatest opportunities for improvement lie. For example, women with diabetes were less likely than women without diabetes to have their blood pressure controlled or to have had a dental visit in the preceding 12 months. Among younger women (64 or younger), women with diabetes were significantly more likely than women without diabetes to have only public health insurance. On the other hand, women with diabetes were much more likely than women without diabetes to have received an annual flu vaccination and to have ever received a vaccination for pneumonia.Women with Diabetes: Quality of Health Care, 2004-2005 (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0099)* (Intramural).

•Analysis reveals that many women and men with diabetes are not receiving recommended care.
According to this analysis of 10 quality of care measures—as defined by the National Health Care Quality and Disparities Reports—only 29 percent of women and 34 percent of men with diabetes receive the five care processes recommended for people with diabetes: regular blood sugar measurement, regular eye exams, regular foot exams, flu vaccination each year, and lipid profile every 2 years. Avoidable hospitalizations for diabetes complications decrease as income and education increase among women across all racial and ethnic groups. Correa-de-Araujo, McDermott, and Moy, Women's Health Issues 16(2):56-65, 2006 (AHRQ Publication No. 06-R043)* (Intramural).

•Having a chronic disease like diabetes may be a barrier to receipt of recommended preventive care among women.
Researchers used data from three nationally representative surveys to examine the quality of care received by women with diabetes and the impact of socioeconomic factors on receipt of clinical preventive services and screening for diabetes-related conditions. They found that use of diabetes-specific preventive care among women is low, and that women aged 45 and younger and those with low educational levels were the least likely to receive recommended services. Also, women with diabetes were less likely than other women to receive a Pap smear, and those who were poor and minority were less likely than more affluent and white women to receive the pneumonia vaccine. Owens, Beckles, Ho, et al., J Women's Health 17(9):1415-1423, 2008 (AHRQ Publication No. 09-R018)* (Intramural).

full-text:
Women's Health Highlights: Recent Findings (continued)