The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has approved more than $156m in funding to support clinical studies to improve patient care.
The funding will support new patient-centred comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER), along with research to improve methods and strengthen the science of engagement.
The programme includes 13 CER studies, including three studies focused on care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
The studies will evaluate sleep apnoea treatment for people with Down syndrome, toddlers with developmental disabilities and travel training interventions for young adults with IDD.
PCORI executive director Nakela Cook said: “Poor sleep affects more than 50 million people in the United States and is linked to multiple chronic conditions and negative health outcomes.
“These patient-centred CER studies will fill important evidence gaps on interventions to improve quality sleep, helping patients and those who care for them make better-informed health decisions about an important aspect of their health.”
In addition to sleep interventions, the programme includes two studies comparing approaches to manage gestational diabetes and postpartum blood pressure.
It also includes studies on hip fractures, stroke, inflammatory bowel disease, smoking cessation, intubation in adults and bronchiolitis follow-up care in children.
PCORI is also funding a project focused on treatment options for older adults with advanced kidney disease, and another to integrate acupuncture and massage into cancer care.
Its additional funding includes $8m for eight studies to improve methods for conducting CER and $7m for four studies to build evidence base and conduct patient-centred CER.
PCORI will also provide $134m for PCORnet, a national resource funded by PCORI, to support eight PCORnet CRNs and coordinate centre activities.
PCORI deputy executive director for patient-centred programs Harv Feldman said: “We are strengthening the foundation of patient-centred comparative clinical effectiveness research.
“Rigorous, evidence-based and trustworthy approaches are critical to shaping research that generates results patients and their caregivers can rely on. Insights from these PCORI-funded studies will further our mission of producing high-integrity patient-centred CER.”
