The role of neighborhoods in the receipt of transcranial Doppler screening among children with sickle cell disease.

Although transcranial Doppler (TCD) screening assesses the need for stroke prevention efforts among children with sickle cell disease (SCD), screening rates remain low across many parts of the United States. We sought to identify neighborhoods with low TCD screening rates and neighborhood-level factors related to screening to inform the utility of community-level interventions to improve TCD screening. Children ages 2 to 16 years with SCD (HbSS/HbS/β-thalassemia) living in Wayne County, MI, were identified in Michigan Medicaid (2007 to 2011) through newborn screening records. Children were enrolled for ≥ 1 year and could contribute multiple years. We determined receipt of ≥ 1 TCD screening and neighborhood (census tract) each year. The proportion of children receiving TCD in the tract was calculated and investigated for spatial patterns across tracts (Moran's I). Median household income, % unemployment, % black residents, and % less than high school education within each tract were ascertained from the American Community Survey. Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations was used to model associations between TCD screening and neighborhood-level factors. Overall, 329 children contributed 532 person-years and screening rates increased from 7% to 36% from 2007 to 2011. Median screening rate in tracts was 0% (interquartile range = 29%) and there was no spatial pattern of TCD screening across tracts (Moran's I Z-score = -0.94, P-value = 0.35). No associations were found between neighborhood characteristics and receipt of TCD screening in this disadvantaged Michigan county. Additional research is needed to inform interventions to increase TCD screening in this high stroke-risk population.