PCORI has identified the need for large studies that look at real-life questions facing diverse patients, caregivers, and clinicians. In 2014, PCORI launched the Pragmatic Clinical Studies initiative to support large-scale comparative effectiveness studies focusing on everyday care for a wide range of patients. The Pragmatic Clinical Studies initiative funded this research project.

This research project is in progress. PCORI will post the research findings on this page within 90 days after the results are final.

What is the research about?

People with lived experience of a mental illness, like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, die on average 11–30 years earlier than people who don’t. They are more likely to have health problems like heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, and lung disease than the rest of the population.

In this study, the research team is comparing two programs to help people with lived experience of mental illness manage their health problems. One program is led by a mental health worker. The other program is led by two peer support specialists, people with lived experience of mental illness who have learned to manage their long-term health problems.

Who can this research help?

People with lived experience of mental illness and their clinicians, such as doctors and nurses, can use the results of this study when considering ways for service users to better manage their health.

What is the research team doing?

The research team is recruiting 600 adults with lived experience of mental illness who also have a long-term heart or lung problem. People in the study are receiving care at a Centerstone mental health clinic in Kentucky or Tennessee.

The research team is assigning people to one of two programs by chance. In the first program, a mental health professional teaches people how to take better care of their physical and mental health. This program includes 2 one-on-one meetings and 14 group meetings. In the second program, two peer support specialists teach people how to take care of their long-term health problem during six group meetings.

After one year, the research team is looking at changes in people’s knowledge of how to take care of their health and their ability to do so. The team is also looking at changes in people’s confidence in managing their own health care. Using health records, the team is checking for changes in how many times people go to the hospital for their health problems.

People with lived experience of mental illness and their families are working with the research team to plan the study.

Research methods at a glance