The Roles of Biomedical Informatics for an Equitable Learning Health System: Lessons from a Year of Scientific...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Informatics
• Health Equity
• Learning Health Systems

Background:

• Biomedical informatics is essential for learning health systems (LHSs) to translate data into actionable knowledge for continuous care improvement.
• Existing healthcare data often reflect disparities, raising concerns about the equitable impact of LHSs without intentional design.
• The integration of health equity principles is critical for LHSs to address and mitigate these disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and describe the prevalence of health equity as a theme in recent biomedical informatics literature.
• To analyze how biomedical informatics contributes to or hinders health equity within the learning health system framework.
• To synthesize findings from a selected sample of articles from the 2025 AMIA Year in Review (YIR).

Main Methods:

• A convenience sample of 240 articles submitted for the 2025 AMIA Year in Review (YIR) was initially reviewed.
• Articles were organized into themes, with many aligning with the learning health system concept.
• Expert review was applied to distill 56 relevant papers from nine themes focusing on biomedical informatics and health equity.

Main Results:

• Biomedical informatics can support health equity across all stages of the learning health system (LHS) cycle.
• Mature LHS implementations demonstrate how learning cycles can be intentionally designed for equity.
• Equitable data representation, natural language processing, AI, trust, justice, and access are interdependent factors for equitable LHS operation.

Conclusions:

• Health equity is a fundamental condition that influences every phase of the LHS cycle.
• The success of informatics interventions must be evaluated not only on technical merit but on their ability to foster inclusive, accountable, and equitable learning cycles.
• Prioritizing equity in the design and implementation of LHSs is paramount for achieving just healthcare outcomes.