[EQ] Measuring disparities in health care

Editorial
Measuring disparities in health care

Jennifer Prah Ruger, assistant professor, Yale University School of
Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, New Haven, CT USA

BMJ 2006;333:274 - 5 August, 2006, doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7562.274

Available online at:
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/333/7562/274

"...The gap between high and low quality care within groups matters more
than gaps between groups Disparities in the quality of health care and in
the occurrence of medical errors are hot issues in contemporary medicine and
health policy. This debate stems mainly from reports on disparities in the
quality of health care by the US Institute of Medicine and recommendations
for health systems to reduce "medical errors."1 2 Given evidence of
stratification in healthcare quality by racial, ethnic, geographic, gender,
and socioeconomic factors, we still have not settled on the right methods
for quantifying inequalities. Policy responses will depend on appropriate
methods. .."

Related article:

Who Is at Greatest Risk for Receiving Poor-Quality Health Care?
Asch SM, Kerr EA, Keesey J, Adams JL, Setodji CM, Malik S, et al. N Engl J
Med 2006;354: 1147-56.
[Abstract/Free Full Text]

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Received on Fri Aug 4 13:01:04 2006