Roadmap for embedding health equity research into learning health systems

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Health Equity Studies
• Academic Medicine

Background:

• Health equity is crucial for optimal healthcare system performance, aligning with the quadruple aim.
• Traditional approaches focused on workforce diversity, but a holistic strategy is needed.
• Academic medical centers must anchor health equity across clinical care, education, research, and community engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline a health equity research roadmap implemented at NYU Langone Health (NYULH).
• To demonstrate how pragmatic research can embed health equity into academic medical systems.
• To provide a model for other institutions seeking to advance health equity.

Main Methods:

• NYULH established a health equity research roadmap as a framework for embedded pragmatic research.
• The roadmap guides efforts to target and eliminate health inequities within the healthcare delivery system.
• This approach integrates health equity into patient care, medical education, and research.

Main Results:

• The NYULH roadmap comprises six key elements.
• These elements include collecting disaggregated data, identifying equity gaps, setting quality improvement goals, investigating root causes, developing evidence-based solutions, and continuous monitoring.
• The roadmap provides a structured, data-driven approach to addressing health inequities.

Conclusions:

• The elements of the NYULH roadmap offer a practical model for academic medical centers.
• This model facilitates the use of pragmatic research to embed a culture of health equity.
• Implementing such a roadmap can drive systemic improvements in health equity.