Helping primary care clinics reduce racial gaps in care and improve quality
Measuring Readiness to REduce Disparities and Improve QUality In Primary Care (EQUIP)
This project will create a practical tool clinics can use to find and fix the ways care leads to worse outcomes for Black and other minority adult patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11194989 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are building a practical measure that looks at clinic-level features — like staff training, standard procedures, and quality-improvement systems — that might help narrow racial differences in health outcomes. They will gather information from primary care practices and link it to patient records and outcomes to see which policies and routines are tied to smaller gaps between Black and White patients. The team will test and refine the measure so it reliably identifies clinics that are ready to reduce disparities. To do this they may use surveys, chart data, and interviews with clinic staff to make the measure practical for real-world use.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults (21+) who receive care at participating primary care clinics — especially Black and other racial or ethnic minority patients — would be most directly involved or benefit.
Not a fit: Patients who do not receive care at participating clinics, children, or people outside the study areas are unlikely to see direct benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the tool could help clinics target changes that reduce racial disparities and improve health for Black and other minority patients.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research shows facility-level factors can affect disparities, but there is currently no validated clinic-level 'readiness to reduce disparities' measure, so this is a novel effort.
Where this research is happening
Durham, United States
- Duke University — Durham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Johnson, Kimberly S. — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Johnson, Kimberly S.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.