To describe how Learning Health System (LHS) principles were applied to address racial and ethnic disparities in patient experience within the Veterans Health Administration (VA).
Approach:
Prioritizing Health Equity: The VA prioritizes health equity by creating infrastructure to reduce gaps in care and improve population health, utilizing LHS foundational methods.
Engaging the Community: Input from diverse Veteran community members was sought to ensure findings resonated with their experiences and to improve data visualization.
Targeting Disparities: The NVHER provided data on racial and ethnic disparities in patient experience, with a focus on geographic variations across the 18 VA regions.
Key Findings:
The NVHER identified significant racial and ethnic disparities in patient experiences among Veterans.
Engagement with Veteran community members was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Interpretation:
The application of LHS principles in the VA demonstrates a structured approach to integrating equity into healthcare delivery.
Limitations:
Limited engagement with Veteran community members due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lack of earmarked funds for community member involvement in the analytic phase.
Conclusion:
The VA's approach illustrates the potential of LHS to advance health equity among diverse Veteran populations.
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