Welcome to the NIH Collaboratory E-Newsletter!
The newsletter is intended to provide a convenient monthly wrap-up of NIH Collaboratory news, along with featured stories and a look at what’s coming in the month ahead. We hope you’ll find it useful, and we’d love to hear your feedback.
Please let us know what you think.
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Recent News
Registration Now Open for Workshop on Embedded Pragmatic Clinical Trials of Therapeutic A vs B Interventions: Registration is now open for a 1-day workshop sponsored by the NIH Common Fund and organized by NIH Collaboratory thought leaders. The workshop will focus on A vs B trials, which compare 2 or more therapeutic medical interventions. A series of moderated discussions will address opportunities and approaches for partnering with healthcare systems and other stakeholders to conduct embedded A vs B trials. The workshop will take place on May 16 from 8:00 am to 4:15 pm ET. Participants may join in person in Bethesda, Maryland, or via webcast.
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NIH Collaboratory Podcast Features Dr. Robert Califf on Data Science in the Era of Data Ubiquity: In the latest NIH Collaboratory podcast, former FDA Commissioner and current
Duke Forge Director Dr. Robert Califf speaks about the vast amount of information available through mobile phones and other devices and what it means for the field of data science. While improving technology can help to equalize access to health resources and knowledge, it also presents the challenge of ensuring that the information is complete and accurate.
NIH Offers Webinar on Individually Randomized Group Treatment Trials: Registration is now open for a webinar on the design and analysis of individually randomized group treatment (IRGT) trials, the latest in the NIH Office of Disease Prevention's Mind the Gap series. IRGT trials randomly assign individual participants to study conditions but administer the intervention in groups. Although similar to cluster randomized trials, there are important differences between these study designs. The webinar will provide an introduction to IRGT trials, review current approaches, and highlight areas where further work is needed. The webinar is scheduled for April 24 at 11:00 am ET.
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PPACT Study Design Paper Published: Congratulations to Dr. Lynn DeBar and the investigators of the Collaborative Care for Chronic Pain in Primary Care pragmatic trial for their recently published
study design paper. An NIH Collaboratory Demonstration Project, the trial is designed to test whether a primary care–based behavioral intervention—the Pain Program for Active Coping and Training (PPACT)—will provide a “more effective, safer, and more satisfactory alternative to opioid-based chronic pain treatment” than usual care for patients on chronic opioid treatment. Learn more about this innovative trial by downloading a
study snapshot.
PCORI Launches Tool for Exploring Literature on Engagement in Health Research: Seeking to advance the study and practice of engagement in health research, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) recently launched the Engagement in Health Research Literature Explorer. The new tool searches a curated database of peer-reviewed literature on engagement. The database is updated monthly and is one way PCORI is helping to promote meaningful involvement of patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other healthcare stakeholders throughout the research process.
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Podcasts
In this episode, Dr. Sean Tunis and Ellen Tambor of the Center for Medical Technology Policy discuss their findings on clinicians’ attitudes toward research participation. They describe the need to involve clinicians in study design and in closing feedback loops after studies are completed, in order to build clinicians’ trust that research leads to quality improvement for their patients.
Don't miss our other recent Grand Rounds podcasts:
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The
Suicide Prevention Outreach Trial (SPOT), an NIH Collaboratory Demonstration Project, is a large pragmatic trial testing 2 treatment programs designed to reach large numbers of patients who have serious thoughts of suicide. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for more than 40,600 deaths in 2012. Suicide attempts result in 600,000 emergency room visits and nearly 200,000 hospitalizations every year. In addition to SPOT’s large scope and the significant problem it will address, the study uses a groundbreaking study design, and the intervention programs were developed in collaboration with people with “lived experience,” those who have experienced suicidal thoughts or survived suicide attempts. Download a
study snapshot to learn more.
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Pragmatic Trial of Video Education in Nursing Homes (PROVEN): Patients in nursing homes commonly receive aggressive care that may be inconsistent with their preferences and of little clinical benefit. Identifying effective approaches that nursing homes can use to better promote goal-directed care is a high priority. PROVEN, an NIH Collaboratory Demonstration Project, is a cluster randomized trial evaluating the effectiveness of video-assisted advance care planning tools in nursing homes. Such tools may be useful in improving decision making and palliative care for millions of older Americans.
In this video, Dr. Vincent Mor discusses the status of PROVEN, challenges and surprises, and advice for new investigators. Download a
study snapshot to learn more about PROVEN.
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Featured Publications & Products
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Feasibility assessment is a crucial part of the planning phase of any clinical trial, and for pragmatic trials, the process differs in important ways from what is done for traditional explanatory trials. The
Living Textbook includes a chapter on
Assessing Feasibility for pragmatic trials, featuring real-world scenarios from NIH Collaboratory Demonstration Projects.
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