Overview
The diagnostic process links the symptoms patients experience, the determinants of their health, and their interactions with the health care system. To the extent that systematic differences exist in patients’ access, experience, and health care outcomes, the diagnostic process becomes a window into – and major component of – assuring equity in the health care system as a whole.
2024 Call for Proposals
This call for proposals, supported by a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, engaged researchers in building evidence to reduce diagnostic inequities across the domains of patient access, experience, and health outcomes. Through this call for proposals, AcademyHealth and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation awarded four grants that will expand the base of evidence available to improve the timeliness, accuracy, and clarity of diagnoses for all patients. The four grantees will critically examine opportunities to achieve diagnostic excellence in pediatric rheumatology, cardiology, oncology, and mental health. Learn more about the new grants here.
Call for Proposals Timeline
March 18, 2024: Call for proposals and applicant resources published.
March 21, 2024, 12:00 p.m. ET: Webinar for prospective applicants.
March 25, 2024: Application portal opens to applicants.
May 1, 2024, 3:00 p.m. ET: Proposals due.
August 2024: Applicants notified about funding decisions.
September 1, 2024: Grants begin.
August 31, 2025: Grants conclude.
More Information
Diagnostic equity is the equal probability of getting an accurate, timely diagnosis that leads to appropriate interventions regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, or other characteristics. Inequities can present themselves at any stage of the diagnostic journey, which AcademyHealth looks at in four distinct phases:
- An appraisal interval from the detection of bodily changes to perception of a need to seek care;
- A help-seeking interval from the perception of a need for care until the first clinical consultation;
- A diagnosis interval from the first consultation through actual diagnosis; and
- A treatment interval from diagnosis until the start of treatment.
AcademyHealth seeks a more nuanced understanding of diagnostic equity that reflects the complexities of patients’ lived experiences and their interactions with the healthcare system. This endeavor intends to pinpoint specific touchpoints along the diagnostic journey where interventions can be implemented, progress can be measured, and diagnostic disparities can be eradicated. Ultimately, our objective is to prioritize equity in health services research, particularly in advancing diagnostic excellence.