PCORI Stories
What does patient-centered research look like in the field? These short features provide a glimpse into the workings of the studies and projects we support. Hear from researchers what it’s like to partner with patients and other stakeholders, and from patients about being part of a research team.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 results
'It's Nonjudgmental Support': Breathing Easier with the Healthy Lungs Program
Comparing approaches to help longtime smokers quit smoking for good.
'You Have to Meet People Where They Are to Help Them': Patient Advisors Guide Successful Diabetes Self-Management Study
Comparing individually tailored text messages with other approaches to encourage people with diabetes to take care of themselves.
Health Risks for Each Individual, Not for the Average Patient
Study results often predict the benefit a treatment could have for the average patient. A PCORI-funded project is using personal health characteristics to move beyond averages and predict the benefit a treatment could have for individual patients.
Kentucky Community Fights Back against Cardiovascular Disease
In a region where cardiovascular disease risk is extremely high, a combination of self-management classes taught by trained community health workers and buy-in from community leaders led to a significant reduction in cardiovascular disease risk.
Engagement Awards Teams Ride Momentum to Research Projects
The Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards build communities to participate in patient-centered outcomes research. But three Engagement Awards teams are doing more than participating in research—they are conducting it.
Coordinated Treatment Planning Shows Promise for Patients with Lung Cancer
People with lung cancer need several specialists for treatment. A PCORI-funded project found that with up-front treatment planning among the different specialists, patients get treatment that is more appropriate for their cancer’s severity.
Bringing Older Adults' Voices to Research
An advisory board of residents of skilled nursing facilities and older adults who live at home provides input to studies.
A Less-Invasive Way to Replace a Heart Valve: Is Newer Better?
A nonsurgical method to replace the aortic valve turned out as safe as surgery and allowed more patients to go home from the hospital, rather than to a nursing home or rehabilitation facility.
Can Telehealth Improve Care?
Telehealth has the potential to provide access to care for a wide variety of populations that are now underserved. Two PCORI-funded studies are using telehealth in different ways to test its potential.
Helping Men Decide on Prostate Cancer Treatment
Problems are more likely three years after surgery than after radiation or surveillance, a study finds.
Finding the Keys to a Longer, Better Life after Stroke
Patients who have a stroke often receive medications to prevent a recurrence. Researchers are using medical records and new patient-reported data to examine the benefits and risks of these treatments.
Can Virtual House Calls Provide More Patients with High-Quality Parkinson's Disease Care?
Patients with Parkinson's disease often have difficulty traveling to appointments with far-away specialists. Simple videoconferencing software may bring care into their homes.
To Stay at Home, Older Adults Should Plan Ahead
Many Americans fail to plan for the health events that commonly occur when they reach their 80s, 90s, or 100s. Researchers are working with older adults to develop a tool that helps them have a voice in what happens as their health needs grow.
Medication Choices Based on Data, Not Fear
Researchers are investigating how patients with inflammatory bowel disease weigh treatment benefits and risks—and then are using that information to consider differences between two types of drugs.
Under One Roof: Pulling Specialists Together to Improve Lung Cancer Care
Treatment of lung cancer requires the services of several specialists. A Memphis project is examining whether patient outcomes improve when care providers come together in a coordinated program.
Using a Video to Empower Patients Facing Major Surgery
How can patients about to undergo major surgery effectively communicate their wishes for postoperative care? Feedback from patients, family members, and surgeons led researchers to revise their plan for testing a tool to promote advance care planning.
In Care Transitions, a Chance to Make or Break Patients' Recovery
Poorly executed transitions between healthcare settings—for example, from hospital to home or a nursing facility—can harm patients and lead to additional hospital visits. PCORI is funding projects to improve transitional care.
Long-Term Nicotine Replacement Therapy for Smokers with Lung Disease
A cold-turkey approach to smoking cessation often doesn’t succeed, but a more gradual tactic might be successful for some high-risk smokers.
Prostate Cancer: Voices of Experience
Patients newly diagnosed with prostate cancer have to make difficult decisions about their care. Men who have been there join Vanderbilt University researchers to personalize information on treatment outcomes.
When Kidneys Fail: Helping Patients Choose the Treatment Best for Them
The two main types of renal dialysis significantly alter patients’ lives in different ways. Michigan researchers are developing a tool to guide patients toward a better-informed choice.
Take as Directed (or Why Not?)
William Vinacco decided not to take his newly prescribed blood pressure medicine; a Boston team is devising tools to help patients talk to their doctors to address concerns that might have led to that choice.
Listen Carefully: Helping Patients Manage Their Meds
Many elderly people struggle to stay on top of their complex pill regimens; A Washington State University team is exploring how the patients think about their medications.
