Advancing diagnostic equity through clinician engagement, community partnerships, and connected care

While the COVID 19 pandemic exposed longstanding race- and ethnicity-related healthcare inequity in the USA, equity issues specifically related to the diagnostic process warrant additional exploration. For example, Black, Hispanic, and Asian patients experience significantly higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19, yet are less likely to be tested for coronavirus. Similar disparities have been documented with cardiac testing and procedures, mental health diagnoses, appendicitis diagnosis, and receipt of diagnostic imaging in the ED. Diagnosis-related inequity is particularly challenging to address especially given that diagnostic errors have been inadequately targeted by systems-based solutions. (author abstract)