The ACGME, American Medical Association (AMA), and Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) have launched the Physician Data Initiative (PDI), a collaborative effort aimed at improving the health of the nation by better understanding the dynamics of the physician workforce. Founded in 2021, this initiative focuses on establishing standardized practices for categorizing, collecting, reporting, and sharing sociodemographic data.
The PDI aims to foster meaningful collaboration among organizations by providing high-quality data that advances research to create a more diverse and culturally sensitive physician workforce. By developing standard data definitions and approaches to data collection and sharing, the initiative lays the groundwork for expanded access to physician workforce data across medical education, clinical practice, and research.
Part of the initiative’s objective is to build a community to facilitate knowledge sharing and collaborations, as well as to provide best practices around data collection and data sharing. Others will be invited to use the standards to continue building and enhancing data across the medical education continuum.
The PDI seeks to establish definitions for essential data on physician workforce diversity, including for race, ethnicity, language proficiency, sexual orientation, and gender identity. It will also recommend reporting standards to eliminate confusion and ensure transparency and will create a governance process to evolve standards while maintaining data integrity for trend analysis. Members of the initiative will benefit from streamlined processes for data sharing and access, respecting individual institutions' policies and practices.
The PDI represents a significant step toward a more informed and equitable US health care system, ensuring that the physician workforce meets the diverse needs of patients and communities nationwide.
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