Patient‐Reported Barriers and Potential Supports for Deep Brain Stimulation Consideration in a Referral Cohort

ABSTRACT Background Racial and ethnic disparities in deep brain stimulation access persist, but patient‐reported barriers after referral are not well characterized. Aim To characterize barriers to deep brain stimulation (DBS) and strategies that might facilitate consideration of DBS among racial/ethnic minority patients in a referral cohort. Methods We conducted a cross‐sectional survey of adults in a tertiary‐center DBS referral database. Invitation emails were sent to 377 patients. Respondents were grouped by self‐reported race/ethnicity (racial/ethnic minority vs. White). We used Fisher's exact and Wilcoxon rank‐sum tests and exploratory logistic regression adjusted for insurance. Results Eighty‐three respondents completed the survey: 67 White, 12 racial/ethnic minority, and 4 who declined to report race/ethnicity. Minority respondents more often reported discomfort asking questions in medical settings (44.4% [4/9] vs. 7.8% [5/64]; OR 9.4, 95% CI 1.9–46.8), and more frequently endorsed cost (50.0% [4/8] vs. 14.1% [9/64]; OR 6.1, 95% CI 1.3–28.9) and time away from work (50.0% [4/8] vs. 17.2% [11/64]; OR 4.8, 95% CI 1.0–22.3) as DBS‐related concerns. In insurance‐adjusted models, minority status remained associated with endorsement of financial navigation (aOR 3.3, 95% CI 1.2–9.0) and transportation assistance (aOR 4.0, 95% CI 1.6–10.2) as supports that would facilitate consideration of DBS. Conclusion In this DBS referral cohort, racial/ethnic minority respondents more often endorsed practical and communication‐related barriers to DBS consideration. These exploratory findings identify financial navigation, transportation assistance, and communication support as potential targets for prospective evaluation within DBS referral workflows.