PCORI Stories
What does patient-centered research look like in the field? These short features provide a glimpse into the workings of the 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 51 - 74 of 74 results
Genetic Test Results: Putting Parents and Doctors on the Same Page
Parents of children with rare genetic disorders, and their doctors, need genetic information to guide care decisions. A redesigned report for providing information to families and clinicians may improve communication and shared decision making.
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.
ImproveCareNow: Involving Patients in Research on Inflammatory Bowel Disease
A health system engages patients and families in every step of research to ensure that the outcomes measured matter to patients’ lives.
Learning from the Success Stories
What are the best approaches for addressing children’s weight problems? Researchers are looking to families for solutions that have succeeded.
Do You Hear What I'm Saying?
Everyone agrees on the importance of effective communication between patients and their healthcare providers, but it’s hard to improve what you can’t measure. Researchers are developing a survey to assess this foundation of patient-centered care.
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.
To Fight Depression, Consider the Context
Low-income women are at high risk for depression and unlikely to get effective treatment. Researchers are testing whether helping underserved women with depression solve their most pressing problems leads to better mental health.
Improving Methods for Studying Chronic Disease
Repeated adjustments in medication doses complicate the analysis of patient outcomes. Researchers are creating an easy-to-use statistical toolkit to help researchers study treatments that vary over time.
Improving Healthcare Outcomes in Rural Settings
Compared to the rest of the nation, rural America bears a disparate burden of healthcare challenges. Americans living in rural areas suffer from higher rates of chronic disease and have higher rates of disability or death due to unintentional injury.
Improving Patient-Nurse Communication to Prevent a Life-Threatening Complication
Hospitalized patients are at increased risk for potentially fatal blood clots in their legs and lungs; a Baltimore team is exploring how to ensure wider use of preventive measures.
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.
Guiding Men through Prostate Cancer Treatment Options
Men diagnosed with prostate cancer have many treatment options. A local barbershop owner and community health advocate is helping a Florida researcher test an app designed to aid patients in weighing their choices.
The Decision is Yours: Engaging Patients in Depression-Treatment Choices
A tribal-run healthcare system in Alaska found that depression treatment wasn’t working well, partly because patients weren’t taking their medications. Researchers are developing a decision-support tool to help such patients.
What Do Patients and Caregivers Want In Mobile Health Apps? Ask Them
Julie Singer struggles to manage her husband’s health and treatments as he recovers from a stroke; researchers are consulting with patients and caregivers as a first step in developing new mobile tools for stroke survivors.
Mejorando La Calidad de Vida Para Latinas con Cáncer de Seno
La mayoría de Latinas con cáncer de seno enfrenten más desafíos en manejar su enfermedad que la poblacion general. Una investigadora esta estudiando si grupos de apollo con relevancia cultural pueden mejorar la vida de estas mujeres - y de sus cuidadores.
Fighting Depression with the Power of Community
Inner-city minority groups have reduced access to traditional treatment services for depression; a partnership in Los Angeles expands on existing community resources to improve access to evidence-based services in a community-wide strategy.
Improving Quality of Life for Latinas with Breast Cancer
Most Hispanic women with breast cancer face extra challenges in dealing with the disease. One researcher aims to find out if culturally relevant group support can help such women and their caregivers.
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.
Transforming Community-Based Research on the High Plains
Research reports can be difficult to understand; a “Boot Camp Translation” project in Colorado makes evidence-based recommendations accessible for diverse communities.
Tablet Tool Harnesses Data from Many Patients for Individual Choices
When Rosalinda Leblanc was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2004, she didn’t know what path to take; California experts in MS are now devising a digital portal to predict disease course and guide medication choice.
