Cultural competency training and performance reports to improve diabetes care for black patients: a cluster randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Increasing clinician awareness of racial disparities and improving communication may enhance diabetes care among black patients. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of cultural competency training and performance feedback for primary care clinicians on diabetes care for black patients. DESIGN: Cluster randomized, controlled trial conducted between June 2007 and May 2008. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00436176) SETTING: 8 ambulatory health centers in eastern Massachusetts. PARTICIPANTS: 124 primary care clinicians caring for 2699 (36%) black and 4858 (64%) white diabetic patients. Intervention: Intervention clinicians received cultural competency training and monthly race-stratified performance reports that highlighted racial differences in control of hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and blood pressure. MEASUREMENTS: Clinician awareness of racial differences in diabetes care and rates of achieving clinical control targets among black patients at 12 months. RESULTS: White and black patients differed significantly in baseline rates of achieving an HbA(1c) level less than 7% (46% vs. 40%), an LDL cholesterol level less than 2.59 mmol/L (