Feinberg School of Medicine receives National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant

Health disparities by race/ethnicity exist in the prevalence and outcomes of cataract, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy, but the impact of social determinants of health on quality metrics for care of these conditions is poorly understood. The Health Disparities in Utilization, Quality, and Outcomes for Three Common Ocular Conditions (HealthDOC) study seeks to understand the association of the social determinants on National Quality Forum and clinically meaningful measures, and mortality for racial and ethnic minority patients using an innovative strategy that incorporates data from the Sight OUtcomes Research CollaborativE (SOURCE) on over 35 academic medical centers.

This research will have high impact by providing the health sector and other stakeholders with essential information about the quality of ocular care, which is needed for informed interventions aimed at reducing health disparities and improving quality.

“With the funding of this critically important study, we seek to determine the impact of social detriments of health on the care of patients with cataract, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy so that we can design interventions and strategies to reduce this unfair burden on all of our patients.” - Dr. Nicholas J. Volpe, MD

Project Investigators:

For more information, contact the Department of Ophthalmology by emailing ophthalmology@northwestern.edu.