Stakeholder-driven principles for advancing equity through shared measurement

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Health Equity
• Community-Engaged Research

Background:

• Advancing health equity requires aligning community and system priorities.
• Shared measurement, using common goals across sectors, is key to this alignment.
• Current measurement practices often fail to reflect community needs or address historical inequities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop stakeholder-driven principles for shared measurement that advance health equity.
• To create a framework for equitable measurement across health care, public health, and social services.
• To ensure principles are co-created with and accountable to communities.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods study incorporating formative research (environmental scan, interviews, focus groups, surveys).
• A six-week, stakeholder-engaged modified-Delphi process for principle development.
• Iterative analysis and feedback collection through virtual focus groups and online forms.

Main Results:

• Five guiding principles for shared measurement were developed.
• Principles emphasize upfront investment in communities, co-creation, accountability for addressing inequities, holistic community views, and long-term trust-building.
• An equity-focused process ensured broad applicability of the principles.

Conclusions:

• Shared measurement principles can transform how systems create equitable health.
• Centering community needs and priorities, especially for historically marginalized groups, is crucial.
• These principles provide a roadmap for advancing equity through collaborative measurement efforts.