Adherence to cardiovascular disease medications: does patient-provider race/ethnicity and language concordance matter?

Background: Patient-physician race/ethnicity and language concordance may improve medication adherence and reduce disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) by fostering trust and improved patient-physician communication.

Objective: To examine the association of patient race/ethnicity and language and patient-physician race/ethnicity and language concordance on medication adherence rates for a large cohort of diabetes patients in an integrated delivery system.

Design: We studied 131,277 adult diabetes patients in Kaiser Permanente Northern California in 2005.

The predictors of patient-physician race and ethnic concordance: a medical facility fixed-effects approach.

Objective: To examine the predictors of patient-physician race/ethnicity concordance among diabetes patients in an integrated delivery system.

Data Source: Kaiser Permanente's Northern California Diabetes Registry of 2005.

Study Design: Logistic regression predicted concordance for each racial/ethnic group.

Patient race/ethnicity and patient-physician race/ethnicity concordance in the management of cardiovascular disease risk factors for patients with diabetes.

OBJECTIVE Patient-physician race/ethnicity concordance can improve care for minority patients. However, its effect on cardiovascular disease (CVD) care and prevention is unknown. We examined associations of patient race/ethnicity and patient-physician race/ethnicity concordance on CVD risk factor levels and appropriate modification of treatment in response to high risk factor values (treatment intensification) in a large cohort of diabetic patients.