Videos
The NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory has a large collection of training videos that cover topics related to every phase of an embedded pragmatic clinical trial (ePCT). Use our video library to learn about the many aspects of ePCTs. You can filter the videos by Topics, as they relate to content areas of the Living Textbook, or by Categories. Click the Reset Filters button to view the full library again. We also created a series of short, self-paced Learning Modules that you can view sequentially or individually. To find our Learning Modules, select the "Modules" option under the Topics filter.
Lessons Learned From Implementing a Pragmatic Trial Using EHR and Other Real-World Data
Presenter: George 'Holt' Oliver, MD, PhD
Date: October 16, 2025
Run Time: 7:10
This video explores opportunities for turning routine clinical care into real-world data for pragmatic trials using the electronic health record.
The Big Picture: Healthcare Data and Interoperability
Presenter: Lesley Curtis, PhD
Date: 5/7/2025
Run Time: 10:00
In this video, Dr. Lesley Curtis explores how data flow into EHRs and move between systems, the role of data standards, and the barriers to building a more streamlined and connected healthcare system.
Common Data Models
Presenter: Lesley Curtis, PhD
Date: 5/7/2025
Run Time: 12:50
In this video, Dr. Lesley Curtis explores Common Data Models (CDMS). Topics include: How CDMs work, customizing CDMs for specific research questions, challenges and benefits of CDMs, and the future of CDMs.
How Do You Design Trials That Are Fit for Purpose?
Presenter: Lesley Curtis, PhD
Date: October 20, 2023
Run Time: 7:07
Dr. Lesley Curtis discusses how to design pragmatic trials that are fit for purpose by using the PRECIS-2 tool, which underscores the many considerations that go into the underlying pragmatism of a trial.
Including All Populations in Pragmatic Clinical Trials
Presenter: Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN; Rachel Gold, PhD, MPH; Karen Kehl, PhD, RN, FPCN
Date: April 20, 2022
Run Time: 12:21
Learn about challenges and solutions for investigators as they strive to include all populations in research.
Keynote: Can the COVID-19 Crisis Lead to Reformation of the Evidence Generation Ecosystem?
Presenter: Robert Califf, MD
Date: May 1, 2020
Run Time: 59:35
Dr. Robert Califf, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, shares what he believes are the most important drivers that will improve the evidence generation ecosystem.
The Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial: Friend or Foe?
Presenter: Monica Taljaard, PhD; David Magnus, PhD
Date: December 9, 2022
Run Time: 59:51
Dr. Monica Taljaard and Dr. David Magnus present their lessons learned from using stepped-wedge designs in ePCTs.
Is a PCT Right for Your Research Question?
Presenter: Wendy Weber, ND, PhD, MPH
Date: October 20, 2023
Run Time: 2:18
The first step to determining if a pragmatic clinical trial is right for your research question is identifying what you want your research study to answer, says Dr. Wendy Weber.
Swimming with the Sharks: Translation of Pragmatic Trial Results
Presenter: Gregory Simon, MD, MPH
Date: May 24, 2017
Run Time: 40:25
To illustrate the importance of health system leader engagement, Dr. Greg Simon is tasked with convincing healthcare system leadership to invest in implementing the intervention from the Suicide Prevention Outreach Trial (SPOT).
Why Should I Do A Pragmatic Trial?
Presenter: Lesley Curtis, PhD
Date: October 20, 2023
Run Time: 1:58
There are typically two reasons to do a pragmatic clinical trial. The first is to generate real-world evidence that will inform how to deliver care. The second reason is to generate evidence faster and for less money than a traditional trial.
Real-World Data and Real-World Evidence in Regulatory Decisions
Presenter: Jaqueline Corrigan-Curay, JD, MD
Date: May 8, 2020
Run Time: 21:17
Dr. Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay of the US Food and Drug Administration discusses recent trends in incorporating real-world data and real-world evidence in regulatory decisions.
What Are Pragmatic Clinical Trials?
Presenter: Lesley Curtis, PhD
Date: October 20, 2023
Run Time: 1:36
Dr. Lesley Curtis describes the characteristics of a pragmatic clinical trial, which typically are large, efficient studies done in the real world that result in evidence for the adoption of an intervention into clinical practice.
Responding (or Not) to Signals of Potential Clinical Significance in Pragmatic Clinical Trials
Presenter: Joseph Ali, JD; Tanya Matthews, PhD; Leslie J. Crofford, MD
Date: October 14, 2022
Run Time: 1:00:23
Learn what to do when data in a pragmatic clinical trial includes information that might signal physical, mental health or behavioral health risks to patient-subjects.
Keynote: Broadening Clinical Trial Populations: Why It’s Important and How Can We Improve
Presenter: Clyde W. Yancy, MD, MSc, MACC, FAHA, MACP, FHFSA
Date: May 14, 2021
Run Time: 57:20
Dr. Clyde Yancy offers ways to ensure all populations have access to pragmatic clinical trials.
What Are Some Success Strategies for Writing PCT Grant Applications?
Presenter: Wendy Weber, ND, PhD, MPH
Date: October 20, 2023
Run Time: 2:02
It's important to be thorough, informed, timely, and clear when discussing the research question for a PCT grant application.
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research: Approaches for Patient and Community Engagement
Presenter: Anne Trontell, MD, MPH
Date: July 16, 2021
Run Time: 19:34
Dr. Anne Trontell shares the importance of early and continuous investment in engaging patients, stakeholders, and communities.
Implementation and Intervention Complexity in Pragmatic Clinical Trials
Presenter: Steven George, PhD
Date: April 21, 2022
Run Time: 9:16
Dr. Stephen George discusses how complexity can change as you work in partnership with the people who will be implementing the intervention.
What Are the Reasons to Randomize Clusters Instead of Individuals?
Presenter: Liz Turner, PhD
Date: October 20, 2023
Run Time: 0:54
Dr. Liz Turner discusses reasons to randomize clusters instead of individuals, making it logistically easier to implement the intervention your trial is studying.
Assessing Data Quality
Presenter: Rachel Richesson, PhD
Date: July 17, 2020
Run Time: 8:42
This video describes steps for assessing data quality, including identifying variation between populations at different sites and assessments of accuracy, completeness, and consistency.
What Are the Types of CRT Designs?
Presenter: Liz Turner, PhD
Date: October 20, 2023
Run Time: 2:47
Dr. Liz Turner discusses the features of two types of cluster randomized trials, regular parallel arm and the stepped-wedge design.
Ethical Considerations When Vulnerable Populations are Subjects in Pragmatic Trials
Presenter: Emily A. Largent, JD, PhD, RN
Date: January 13, 2023
Run Time: 58:14
Dr. Emily Largent explains that while it is ethically acceptable and imperative to enroll vulnerable subjects in research, we must also think about their vulnerability in systematic ways.
What Are the Key Factors in Using EHR Data for Endpoints and Outcomes?
Presenter: Rachel Richesson, PhD
Date: October 20, 2023
Run Time: 1:12
Dr. Rachel Richesson discusses the key factors in using EHR data for endpoints and outcomes, emphasizing EHR data should be easy to collect, explicit, reproducible, and useful.
Reaching Rural Populations: BeatPain Utah
Presenter: Julie Fritz, PhD, PT; David Wetter, PhD
Date: June 4, 2021
Run Time: 16:31
In this video, the BeatPain Utah team shares their strategies for reaching and enrolling rural and frontier populations. Key characteristics of good partnerships are shared goals, mutual respect of expertise, and shared resources and data.
EHR-Based Outcome Measurement in the LIRE Trial
Presenter: Jerry Jarvik, MD, MPH
Date: June 4, 2021
Run Time: 10:13
In this video, Dr. Jerry Jarvik, PI of the LIRE trial, summarizes the challenges his team faced when embedding a radiology reporting intervention into the electronic health record.