Research shows that accurate, consistent race, ethnicity and language (REAL) data is an essential building block for identifying and addressing health disparities. However, many hospital systems face difficulty in standardizing data collection protocols and capturing and using meaningful data that reveal potential disparities in care. SNI is committed to improving REAL data collection and use in California’s public hospitals to improve quality and ensure patient safety. To that end, SNI will engage in a planning phase supported by The California Endowment to assess the system-level barriers, feasibility and success factors in collecting and using REAL data at public hospitals throughout California. The planning phase will be followed by an implementation initiative that will support public hospital systems’ efforts to standardize REAL data collection and use at their institutions.
This effort was catalyzed by SNI's successful work on a prior initiative aimed at improving organizational cultural competence and eliminating health care disparities, calledLEADing Organizational Change: Advancing Quality Through Culturally Responsive Care. With funding from The California Endowment and in partnership with UCSF Center for the Health Professions, SNI worked with eight public hospital teams to improve language access and integrate cultural competence prinicples into administrative and clinical practice. Using four change strategies (Leadership, Education, Accountability, and Dissemination), the program asked teams to focus on a single project to improve language access and/or cultural competence for patients. For example, several teams focused on efforts such as training hospital staff to provide interpreter services, while another team focused on cultural competence in the palliative care setting.
Contact: Erin Bowman