PCORI Announces Workshops Designed to Bring Patients and Other Stakeholders into Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Process as Active Partners

Events Part of Effort to Build Community and Engage Stakeholders in Refining PCORI's Research Agenda

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) today announced a new initiative aimed at engaging patients and other health care stakeholders as meaningful and active partners in PCORI's efforts to build a patient-centered research community and refine its research agenda.

PCORI will host three workshops this fall to obtain input from patients, caregivers and other stakeholders on its draft process for generating and selecting specific research topics. Once implemented, the process will lead to topic-specific funding announcements that correspond to the five priority areas for research outlined in PCORI's National Priorities for Research and Research Agenda and complement the broad Funding Announcements that PCORI issued in May.

"Working closely with patients, clinicians and other stakeholders is central to our process for identifying and selecting the specific research questions that we hope scientists will study with our support," said PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, MD, MPH. "The people who are most affected by medical research must have a central role in defining what should be studied. We look forward to receiving input at our workshops that will help to advance our shared goal of improving patient outcomes through research."

Each of the workshops, to be held in Washington, D.C., in October and December, is designed to encourage participation from a specific group within the health care community. Attendance will be limited, but each workshop will be accompanied by a public webcast during which remote participants will be able to ask questions and provide input.

The first event, Transforming Patient- Centered Research: Building Partnerships and Promising Models, will focus on the patient's role and perspective in PCORI's work. The event, held October 27-28, will provide an opportunity for patients, caregivers, advocacy groups, researchers and other stakeholders to start working together as a community to discuss potential ideas for future research. It also will support PCORI efforts to raise the standards in the science of patient engagement by developing promising policies for identifying research questions, reviewing funding proposals and ensuring patient participation throughout the process.  

Those wishing to attend can express their interest by completing this form on the PCORI website.

On December 4, PCORI will hold a workshop called What Should PCORI Study? A Call for Topics from Patients and Stakeholders. The event will solicit recommendations for specific research topics and test PCORI's draft process for determining which could be the basis of future funding announcements. Those wishing to attend can express their interest by completing this form.

For both workshops, PCORI is prepared to support travel and related expenses of invited attendees.

On December 5, the institute will host the PCORI Research Prioritization Methods Workshop, where research methodologists, patients and stakeholders will further test the process for selecting research questions and address a number of methodological issues that will help PCORI refine the process to ensure that it addresses the needs of patients and those who care for them.

More information about each workshop is available at www.pcori.org.

About PCORI
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent, non-profit organization authorized by Congress. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed health care decisions. PCORI is committed to continuously seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work. More information is available at www.pcori.org.

SOURCE Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute