Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Seeks Public Feedback on Topics for First Competitive Grants it Will Fund

Input Received Will Shape Pilot Projects on Methods and Approaches to Patient-Centered Outcomes Research  

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is seeking public feedback on eight initial topics for a series of "Tier 1" pilot projects that will assist PCORI in establishing national priorities for research, support the development of novel methods or the collection of preliminary data that can be used to advance the field of patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR), and inform the development of a future PCORI research agenda.

PCORI will issue a request for applications for pilot project grants in late September, which will focus on methods and approaches appropriate to PCOR, including observational methodologies, systematic reviews, mixed methods and qualitative methodologies, simulations, small pragmatic pilot trials and survey methods.  

"We have identified eight initial areas of interest for pilot projects," said PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, M.D., M.P.H. "We look forward to receiving the public's input on these topics and suggestions for other areas of research.  It is rare for researchers and the public to get the chance to preview and influence what a call for applications may contain, but the transparency and access you see here will be typical of PCORI."

The eight initial topics for the "Tier 1" pilot projects include:

• Developing, testing, and/or evaluating novel methods and approaches that can inform the process of establishing and updating national priorities for patient centered outcomes research (PCOR).
• Developing, testing, and/or evaluating methods for bringing together patients, caregivers, clinicians and non-traditional partners in all stages of a multi-stakeholder research process, from the generation and prioritization of research questions to the conduct and analysis of a study to dissemination of study results.
• Developing, testing, and/or evaluating novel processes for translating research findings into changes in health care practices.
• Developing, testing, and/or evaluating approaches that could systematically, without bias, identify gaps in evidence that most affect low-income populations; minorities; children; elderly; women; people with disabilities, multiple medical conditions, rare conditions, and other vulnerable populations.
• Identifying, testing, and evaluating novel predictive outcomes instruments of interest to patients.
• Identifying, testing, and evaluating novel methods for researching behaviors, lifestyles, and choices within patient control that may influence their outcomes.
• Identifying, testing, and evaluating novel methods for studying the patient-clinician interaction in situations where multiple options for prevention, diagnosis or treatment exist.
• Identifying, testing, and evaluating methods to assess strategies that respect patient autonomy and promote informed decision-making, incorporating the best healthcare knowledge into the application of care.

PCORI will hold a 30-day input period on the eight topics that will conclude on Aug. 31. Individuals and organizations are invited to provide feedback through PCORI's website, pcori.org, or by returning a questionnaire by email or standard mail.  PCORI will review all of the input received and update, modify or add to this list of potential areas of interest as appropriate to finalize the RFA. This request is for input on the pilot project topics, not a request for applications for pilot project grants.

SOURCE Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute