Understanding Differences in Dialysis Care Quality for Patients
Official title: Elucidating the Mechanisms of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Dialysis Quality
Funded at University of Southern California · NIH-11126057 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at why Black and Latino patients often receive lower quality dialysis care for end-stage kidney disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Southern California NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $401,305 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK137223-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11126057 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This research focuses on understanding the experiences of patients currently receiving dialysis in the US, especially those who are Black or Latino.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not currently on dialysis or those without end-stage kidney disease would not directly benefit from this particular research.
What this research studies
Many people in the US with end-stage kidney disease rely on dialysis, but Black and Latino patients often face challenges in getting the best care. This project uses a large national database of dialysis patients and Medicare information to understand the reasons behind these differences. We want to find out how factors like where a patient lives, their healthcare providers, and individual circumstances contribute to these disparities. By understanding these issues better, we hope to identify ways to improve care for everyone.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could help identify specific areas where changes are needed to ensure all patients receive high-quality dialysis care, potentially leading to better health outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: While previous studies have described disparities in dialysis care, this project aims to uniquely quantify specific contributing factors and project the impact of future interventions.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lin, Eugene — University of Southern California
- Study coordinator: Lin, Eugene
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
How dialysis facility growth affects care for people with end-stage kidney disease
New research will examine whether the spread of dialysis centers and new treatment technologies benefit patients with end-stage kidney disease, and whether benefits reach all communities.
-
MOVE Trial: Tailored motivational support to help African Americans stick with dialysis
A study tests a customized motivational interviewing approach to help African American dialysis patients stay adherent to their treatment, aiming to reduce hospitalizations and improve health.
-
Blood sugar monitoring for people on maintenance dialysis
This project tests how continuous glucose monitoring can better track blood sugar in people on dialysis to improve diabetes care and prevent complications.
-
Quality of life for people on home dialysis and their family caregivers
This grant studies how living with home dialysis affects daily life and the well-being of patients and their family caregivers.
-
Patient-provider conversations and unequal access to home dialysis and kidney transplant
This project explores how conversations between doctors and patients affect why some Black and Hispanic people with kidney disease don’t get home dialysis or preemptive kidney transplants as often as White or Asian patients.
-
CHOOSE Home: Using community health workers to boost home dialysis and social care in CKD
A real-world trial tests adding community health workers to an interdisciplinary CKD clinic to help patients access home dialysis options.
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.