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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Debra Pierce¹, Romana Hasnain-Wynia, PhD¹, Deborah Bohr, MPH¹, Shawn Foster¹, Marcia Wilson, MBA², Vickie Sears, RN, MS, CCRN², and Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH². (1) Health Research and Educational Trust, One North Franklin, Chicago, IL 60606, 3124222635, dpierce@aha.org, (2) School of Public Health/Health Services Department of Health Policy, The George Washington University Medical Center, 2021 K Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20006

Background Disparities in health care are associated with higher morbidity and mortality among minority groups. The reasons for disparities are unclear, because we do not have good patient race and ethnicity data. Over 78% of U.S. hospitals collect these data but they are inaccurate and incomplete. As part of a large national initiative to reduce disparities in cardiac care, 10 hospitals in a learning collaborative are systematically collecting race and ethnicity data from patients.

Research Objective To provide training for systematically collecting race and ethnicity data using a standardized format.

Population Studied Community hospitals, academic medical centers, and teaching hospitals in rural, suburban, and urban locations (10 hospitals)

Methods To reduce disparities in cardiac care, ten hospitals are collecting, race and ethnicity data. Staff engaged in a training protocol, which included 1) assessment of current data collection practices, populations served, and hospital organizational structures such as staffing and information systems and 2) on-site training which included explanation of race and ethnicity categories, coding, scripted language for staff, and communicating with the community

Results and Conclusions Despite challenges, the hospitals were able to train staff to collect race and ethnicity data from patients using a standardized approach and to make corresponding IT and organizational changes.

Policy Implications A standardized format and formal training can enable hospitals to collect accurate and complete race and ethnicity information from patients, which is essential for disparities reduction efforts.

Learning Objectives -Assess current data collection practices -Accurately collect race and ethnicity data.

Learning Objectives:

• Learning Objectives
• -Assess current data collection practices
• -Accurately collect race and ethnicity data.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered