Advancing Health Disparities Research Within the Health Care System: A Conceptual Framework
Amy M. Kilbourne, PhD,
Galen Switzer, PhD,
Kelly Hyman, PhD,
Megan Crowley-Matoka, PhD and
Michael J. Fine, MD, MSc
All authors are with the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pa. Amy M. Kilbourne and Galen Switzer are with the Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. Megan Crowley-Matoka is with the Departments of Medicine and Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh. Michael J. Fine is with the Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Amy M. Kilbourne, PhD, MPH, VA Pittsburgh Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (151C-U), University Drive C, Pittsburgh, PA 15240, (e-mail: amy.kilbourne{at}va.gov).
We provide a framework for health servicesrelated researchers,practitioners, and policy makers to guide future health disparitiesresearch in areas ranging from detecting differences in healthand health care to understanding the determinants that underliedisparities to ultimately designing interventions that reduceand eliminate these disparities. To do this, we identified potentialselection biases and definitions of vulnerable groups when detectingdisparities.
The key factors to understanding disparities were multileveldeterminants of health disparities, including individual beliefsand preferences, effective patientprovider communication;and the organizational culture of the health care system. Weencourage interventions that yield generalizable data on theireffectiveness and that promote further engagement of communities,providers, and policymakers to ultimately enhance the applicationand the impact of health disparities research.
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