Abstract
BACKGROUND: Rates of diabetes-related Emergency Department (ED) visits in Florida increased by 54% between 2011 and 2016. However, little information is available on geographic disparities of ED visit rates and how these disparities changed over time in Florida and yet this information is important for guiding resource allocation for diabetes control programs. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to (a) investigate geographic disparities and temporal changes in non-gestational diabetes-related ED visit rates in Florida and (b) identify predictors of geographic disparities in non-gestational diabetes-related ED visit rates. METHODS: The ED data for the period between 2016 and 2019 were obtained from the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration. Records of non-gestational diabetes-related ED visits were extracted using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 codes. Monthly non-gestational diabetes-related ED visit rates were computed and temporal changes were investigated using the Cochran-Armitage trend test. County-level non-gestational diabetes-related ED visit rates per 100,000 person-years were calculated and their geographic distributions were visualized using choropleth maps. Clusters of counties with high non-gestational diabetes-related ED visit rates were identified using Kulldorff's circular and Tango's flexible spatial scan statistics. Predictors of non-gestational diabetes-related ED visit rates were investigated using negative binomial model. The geographic distributions of significant (p ≤ 0.05) high-rate clusters and predictors of ED visit rates were displayed on maps. RESULTS: There was a significant (p < 0.001) increase in non-gestational diabetes-related ED visit rates from 266 visits per 100,000 person-months in January 2016 to 332 visits per 100,000 person-months in December 2019. Clusters of high non-gestational diabetes-related ED visit rates were identified in the northern and south-central parts of Florida. Counties with high percentages of non-Hispanic Black, current smokers, uninsured, and populations with diabetes had significantly higher non-gestational diabetes-related ED visit rates, while counties with high percentages of married populations had significantly lower ED visit rates. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings confirm geographic disparities of non-gestational diabetes-related ED visit rates in Florida with high-rate areas observed in the rural northern and south-central parts of the state. Specific attention is required to address disparities in counties with high diabetes prevalence, high percentages of non-Hispanic Black, and uninsured populations. These findings are useful for guiding public health efforts geared at reducing disparities and improving diabetes outcomes in Florida.