Development of learning health system competency items related to health and healthcare equity and justice for rehabilitation researchers

Authors

• Pamela M. Dunlap, Department of Physical Therapy School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA.
• Kathleen M. Poploski, Department of Physical Therapy School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA.
• Catherine A. Anderson, Innovative Partnership for Advancing Rehabilitation Research and Training, Wisconsin Center for Education Research University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison Wisconsin USA.
• Thiru M. Annaswamy, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Health Rehabilitation Hospital Hershey Pennsylvania USA.
• Melissa A. Clark, Department of Health Services Policy and Practice School of Public Health, Brown University Providence Rhode Island USA.
• Peter C. Coyle, Department of Physical Therapy School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA.
• Natalie F. Douglas, Department of Communicative Disorders College of Liberal Arts, University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette Louisiana USA.
• Ann Marie Flores, Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences and Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine Northwestern University, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University Chicago Illinois USA.
• Janet K. Freburger, Department of Physical Therapy School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA.
• Brian J. Hafner, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine School of Medicine, University of Washington Seattle Washington USA.
• Kenneth J. Harwood, Clinical Research and Leadership George Washington University Washington District of Columbia USA.
• Jeanne M. Hoffman, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine School of Medicine, University of Washington Seattle Washington USA.
• Adam R. Kinney, Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora Colorado USA.
• Linda Resnik, Department of Health Services Policy and Practice School of Public Health, Brown University Providence Rhode Island USA.
• Kristin Ressel, Department of Physical Therapy School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA.
• Margarite J. Whitten, Department of Health Services Policy and Practice School of Public Health, Brown University Providence Rhode Island USA.
• Christine M. McDonough, Department of Physical Therapy School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

7-1-2025

Journal

Learning health systems

Volume

9

Issue

3

DOI

10.1002/lrh2.10484

Keywords

competency assessment; health equity; learning health systems; rehabilitation

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: In 2021, the Learning Health Systems Rehabilitation Research Network (LeaRRn) developed and administered a needs assessment survey, based on the Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ's) original seven domains of learning health systems (LHS) researcher core competencies, to identify knowledge and interest in LHS research competencies among rehabilitation researchers. In 2022, the AHRQ added a new health and healthcare equity and justice (HE) domain to the existing seven domains for LHS researcher core competencies. METHODS: LeaRRn utilized methods similar to those employed in the development of their original needs assessment survey to generate and refine competency items for the HE domain. In this report, we describe the methods used to develop these HE competency items. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS: Other training programs and LHS researchers may use the competency items developed for this needs assessment survey to identify training opportunities in the HE domain.

APA Citation

Dunlap, Pamela M.; Poploski, Kathleen M.; Anderson, Catherine A.; Annaswamy, Thiru M.; Clark, Melissa A.; Coyle, Peter C.; Douglas, Natalie F.; Flores, Ann Marie; Freburger, Janet K.; Hafner, Brian J.; Harwood, Kenneth J.; Hoffman, Jeanne M.; Kinney, Adam R.; Resnik, Linda; Ressel, Kristin; Whitten, Margarite J.; and McDonough, Christine M., "Development of learning health system competency items related to health and healthcare equity and justice for rehabilitation researchers" (2025). GW Authored Works. Paper 7664.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/7664

Department

Clinical Research and Leadership