Posted by ImproveCareNow™ on July 15, 2016
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Funds Project as a Demonstration of PCORnet
The ImproveCareNow Network will take part in a $4 million research project to determine the optimal type and frequency of mindfulness-based treatment for managing stress. ImproveCareNow is one of 20 PCORI-funded Patient-Powered Research Networks (PPRNs) participating in this study, which will also demonstrate the capabilities of PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network.
An ambitious initiative funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), PCORnet is accelerating the nation’s ability to conduct patient-centered clinical research more efficiently by using health information shared by patients and other clinical data. PPRNs, which are collaborations among patients, other stakeholders, and research partners who share an interest in advancing patient-centered research, comprise 20 of the 33 networks that together make up PCORnet.
This research project will be a dose-response study of online mindfulness-based interventions to decrease stress and depressive symptoms and increase well-being. Mindfulness "light" is teaching the basics of mindfulness practice (e.g. focus on breath and body sensations for just 3 minutes several times a day or when feeling stressed). Standard mindfulness treatment is an evidenced-based blend of mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy over 8 sessions.
This study aims to determine whether mindfulness "light" is as good as standard mindfulness-based treatment. If it is found that mindfulness “light" is as effective as standard mindfulness regardless of the medical challenge, people can be helped by a minimal intervention. If standard mindfulness treatment is better, then it would make sense to make the additional effort to get better outcomes.
This study is important because it will examine an important aspect of pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease care – psycho-social health – and will offer evidence that could lead to further improvements in outcomes and quality of life for young patients living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
“This study is exciting because mindfulness has been shown to make a difference in health and well-being – if a brief intervention can make a similar difference, then more people might be able to help themselves. It’s also exciting because it offers an opportunity for the whole PCORnet community to come together to make a difference for and with patients, families, and clinicians.”
Michael Seid, PhD, Study Site PI
PCORI provided the funds to support this research project. The funding award has been approved pending completion of a business and programmatic review by PCORI staff and issuance of a formal award contract.
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. For more information about PCORI’s funding, visit www.pcori.org.
PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, is an innovative initiative of PCORI that aims to improve the nation’s capacity to conduct comparative clinical effectiveness research efficiently by creating a large, highly representative network for conducting clinical outcomes research that directly involves patients in the development and execution of the research. More information is available at www.pcornet.org.
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