PCORI Board Approves $44.4 Million for 21 New Patient-Centered Research Projects

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors today approved $44.4 million in funding for 21 new patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) studies.

The funds will support projects on a range of conditions and problems that impose high burdens on patients, caregivers, and the healthcare system, including post-partum depression, misuse of antibiotics, post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans, and joint replacement among others.

"We're pleased to announce this new round of studies designed to produce evidence that will help patients and those who care for them make better-informed health and healthcare decisions," said PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, MD, MPH. "We believe these studies will address significant gaps in our knowledge and have the potential to change practice and improve patients' outcomes."

Several of the studies will focus on cancer, including comparing ways to improve colorectal cancer screening, develop a more patient-centered approach to assessing the quality of care for people with cancer, and assessing the effectiveness of different treatment strategies for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) among older women.

The board also approved a number of studies that aim to reduce disparities in care, including a project that will examine interventions to reduce post-partum depression in low-income women and another testing the effectiveness of several strategies for improving outcomes for children with Down Syndrome who do not have access to specialty clinics. Other studies will explore ways to strengthen methods for conducting rigorous patient-centered CER and strategies to improve healthcare delivery.

Details of the approved projects can be found on PCORI's website.

With these latest awards, PCORI's Board has approved more than $1.3 billion since 2012 in funding for 504 patient-centered CER studies and other projects to enhance the methods and infrastructure to support them. All of awards were approved by the Board pending completion of a business programmatic review by PCORI staff and issuance of a formal award contract.

The latest awards resulted from PCORI Funding Announcements (PFAs) issued in July 2015 under PCORI's five broad National Priorities for Research. The applications were assessed through a competitive review process in which patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other healthcare stakeholders joined clinical scientists in evaluating proposals on the basis of scientific merit, how well they engage patients and other stakeholders, and their methodological rigor, among other criteria.

About PCORI
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed healthcare decisions. PCORI is committed to continually 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

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