Healthcare access, satisfaction and health-related quality of life among children and adults with rare diseases

Research in a variety of countries indicates that healthcare access and health-related quality of life are challenged among people with a variety of rare diseases (RDs). However, there has been little systematic research on the experiences of children and adults with RDs in the American healthcare system that identifies commonalities across RDs. Engage Health recently participated in research which aimed to: (1) Describe demographics, disease characteristics, diagnostic experiences, access to healthcare, knowledge about RDs, support from healthcare professionals, and patient satisfaction among people with RDs and their caregivers; (2) examine predictors of patient satisfaction among adults with RDs; (3) compare health-related quality of life and stigma to US population norms; 4) examine predictors of anxiety and depression among adults and children with RDs. See below for the specific findings of this research.

Kathleen Bogart, Amanda Hemmesch, Erica Barnes, Thomas Blissenbach, Arthur Beisang, Patti Engel and The Chloe Barnes Advisory Council on Rare Diseases