A health equity monitoring framework based on process mining

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Health Equity Measurement
• Process Mining in Healthcare

Background:

• Healthcare disparities exist, but tools to measure health equity comprehensively are lacking.
• Existing tools often focus on isolated aspects of care, not the entire patient journey.
• Accurate measurement is crucial as US Medicare payments may soon link to health equity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel process mining framework for a holistic assessment of health equity.
• To identify and analyze disparities across single and multiple treatment steps.
• To provide a tool for policy-making and research focused on equitable healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Utilized event logs detailing patient care actions.
• Applied a process mining framework to analyze treatment pathways.
• Focused on sepsis management in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), examining sex and English proficiency.

Main Results:

• No significant sex-based disparities were found in sepsis treatment.
• Patients with limited English proficiency experienced delays in treatment initiation.
• Subsequent treatment steps were similar for all patient groups, despite initial delays.

Conclusions:

• The proposed framework offers a comprehensive method for identifying healthcare disparities.
• Process mining can pinpoint inequities in complex care pathways.
• Addressing language barriers is essential for improving timely and equitable care delivery.