The 2005 National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR) uses the same measures of quality as its companion, the 2005 National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR), to monitor the Nation's annual progress toward eliminating disparities in health care among racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. The 2005 report focuses on the same 46 core measures of quality that are tracked in the NHQR, as well as 13 core measures of access to care.

In the 2005 NHDR, four key themes are highlighted:

• Disparities still exist
• Some disparities are diminishing
• Opportunities for improvement remain
• Information about disparities is improving

This tool includes links to the following:

• 2005 National Healthcare Disparities Report (PDF)
• Data Sources Appendix (HTML)
• Detailed Methods Appendix (HTML)
• Measure Specifications Appendix (HTML)
• Data Tables Appendix (HTML)
• NHQR/NHDR newscast (audio and transcript)
• NHQR/NHDR highlights (remarks by Carolyn Clancy, Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)

The 2005 NHDR full report addresses the following clinical conditions:

• Cancer
• Diabetes
• End-stage renal disease
• Heart disease
• HIV and AIDS
• Mental health and substance abuse
• Respiratory diseases

It also presents data on the following:

• Nursing home and home health care

The report includes the following sections:

• Key themes and highlights
• Introduction and methods
• Quality of health care—Measures in this section are organized into four main categories:
  • Effectiveness (i.e., care based on scientific knowledge, provided to all patients who can benefit and not to patients unlikely to benefit)
  • Patient safety (i.e., care that avoids injuring patients with care intended to benefit them)
  • Timeliness (i.e., care that reduces waiting times and delays in care delivery)
  • Patient centeredness (i.e., care that is respectful and responsive to individual patient needs, preferences, and values)
• Access to health care—Measures in this section are organized into two main categories:
  • Facilitators of and barriers to care (e.g., having health insurance, having a usual source of care, and patient perceptions of need)
  • Health care utilization (e.g., dental care, emergency department visits, potentially avoidable admissions, and mental health care and substance abuse treatment)
• Priority populations
  • Racial and ethnic minorities
  • Low-income groups
  • Women
  • Children
  • The elderly
  • Residents of rural areas
  • Individuals with special health care needs