In most cases, there are many options and factors to consider. Patients’ histories, situations, preferences, and goals greatly influence the care they should receive. Unfortunately, we often don’t know which options work best for different patients in different situations.
A lot of what we practice in medicine draws on limited research that shows some clinical benefit for the average patient. As a result, many of our decisions as clinicians draw on our best judgment, guided by training and experience. We take good care of our patients, but we could do better if we had more evidence comparing the effectiveness of treatment options for different patients.
Thankfully, a national effort to fill these gaps in our healthcare knowledge is under way, with PCORI at the forefront.
PCORI was created in 2010 to fund comparative clinical effectiveness research, which compares various drugs and healthcare services to see what works in the real world for patients.
As someone who has dedicated his career to community-based family medicine, I am confident that the PCORI-funded studies under way will provide us with useful evidence to help patients make the best decision for their unique situations.
For example, more than a dozen drugs are available to treat cholesterol. How do we select the right one for an individual patient? Beyond medications, how do we improve care for people with multiple chronic diseases, so that they’re not shuttled from one doctor to the next without coordination?
Answering questions such as these can empower individuals and families, working with their doctors, to choose the health care that best suits their needs.
I led a PCORI-funded Engagement Award project that was developing a road map for the best approaches to patient-centered management of chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The goal was to establish a larger research agenda that will respond to the needs of patients and the clinicians who care for them. It’s incredibly important work because half of all US adults have at least one chronic health condition, and chronic diseases account for 86% of our nation’s healthcare costs.
Read more of David Hahn's thoughts on pursuing research informed by real problems his patients have faced.
As someone who has dedicated his career to community-based family medicine, I am confident that the PCORI-funded studies under way will provide us with useful evidence to help patients make the best decision for their unique situations.
PCORI’s approach to research is truly different from other funders’. From a patient’s perspective, PCORI is answering questions about treatment side effects, a person’s ability to function, and quality of life. These are issues that health research hasn’t addressed adequately in the past. Results from comparative effectiveness research can personalize treatments and help patients make better-informed decisions that will avoid trial-and-error medicine.
There’s a lot of talk these days about high-value care and paying for treatments based on how well they work. If we want to provide patients the best possible care and reduce unnecessary costs, we need the kind of research PCORI is funding. As individuals, we can’t choose wisely if we don’t have useful information about the available healthcare options for the conditions we treat.
Our healthcare system is in the midst of great transformation, and we all want patient-centered solutions to America’s healthcare challenges. Our decisions should be guided by the type of patient-centered research funded by PCORI.
The views expressed here are those of the author and not necessarily those of PCORI.
