Center for Evidence-Based Practice in The Underserved

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Within the overarching framework of informatics-enabled, evidence-based approaches in underserved populations, the aims and sub-aims of the Center for Evidence-based Practice in the Underserved (CEBP) relate specifically to three areas of scientific opportunity at NINR: cultural and ethnic considerations in health and illness; quality of life and quality of care including economic aspects; and telehealth and other emerging technologies to promote patient education and treatment. Research in this competitive renewal focuses on four target areas for evidence-based practice in underserved populations: health disparities, health literacy, patient safety, and public safety. The specific aims are to: 1) implement and maintain informatics-based approaches that enable data aggregation, secondary data use, and building of clinical and economic evidence across CEBP studies; 2) develop and maintain resources of relevance to improving health literacy in underserved populations; 3) facilitate the building of evidence for practice in underserved populations through the funding of pilot studies, mentoring of investigators, and other Pilot Core activities in four target areas: health disparities, health literacy, patient safety, public safety; 4) enhance the expertise of CEBP investigators in informatics-based approaches for research focused on targeting and tailoring interventions for underserved populations in a culturally- and ethnically-appropriate manner; 5) develop the expertise of CEBP investigators in the measurement of health literacy and design of informatics-based interventions at appropriate levels of health literacy; and 6) develop the expertise of CEBP investigators in the use of telehealth and other emerging communication and information technologies.