Closing the Quality Gap: Revising the State of the Science. 3. Quality Improvement Interventions to Address Health Disparities. Executive Summary. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment Number 208.

摘要

Health care disparities are the differences or gaps in care experienced by one population compared with another. Disparities have been noted in health outcomes, including clinical outcomes such as mortality, process measures in the health care system, and disease prevalence. By definition, a disparity in health care quality or health outcomes is not due to differences in the health care needs or preferences of the patient but to other factors. Such differences in health outcomes and their determinants are associated with certain social conditions and demographic attributes. Disparities that occur between identified populations are described by attributes such as race, ethnicity, language, sex, insurance status, socioeconomic status, and health literacy. These attributes and the disparities that may be associated with them are not mutually exclusive, and populations with disproportionately poor health outcomes often share multiple indicators of disparity. Despite what is known about disparities, it is not clear what strategies have the potential to improve the quality of care effectively and to reduce inequities for segments of the population.