WASHINGTON, DC — The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors today approved nearly $42 million to fund 19 new studies comparing which healthcare approaches work best.

Thirteen of the projects will support research on which care options work best in treating a range of conditions and problems that impose high burdens on patients, caregivers, and the healthcare system. They include:

• A $5 million study to compare the effectiveness of two types of palliative care, primary care clinic-based versus home-based, in reducing patients’ pain, anxiety and depression.

• A $3 million project to determine the impact of different health plans on medication use and outcomes among both adults and children with asthma.

• A $2.7 million study to determine the effect of acupressure on relieving treatment-related symptoms in children with cancer.

• A $2.3 million project to determine whether established treatment or a newer drug is more effective against treatment-resistant cases of Kawasaki disease, which can cause heart problems in children.

Another six projects will study ways to improve methods for conducting patient-centered outcomes research. Among them are projects on assessing the quality of communications between healthcare providers and patients, preserving patient privacy when data sets including medical information are linked, and measuring patients’ preferences.

Details of all the newly approved projects can be found on PCORI’s website.

“We are pleased to add this latest round of projects to our expanding portfolio of patient-centered research,” said PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, MD, MPH. “We look forward to following the studies’ progress in producing evidence that could lead to changes in practice and, eventually, better outcomes for patients and their families.”

With these latest awards, PCORI’s Board has approved about $1.6 billion since 2012 to fund 570 patient-centered CER studies and other projects to enhance the methods and infrastructure to support CER. All awards were approved by the Board pending completion of a business programmatic review by PCORI staff and issuance of a formal award contract.

Correction Notice: The description of the palliative care study was revised to more accurately describe what it will compare and to correct the amount of funding approved.

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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 continuously seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work.