pragmatic clinical trials

Grand Rounds (4-4-2014): Defining Denominator Populations Within and Across Complex Health Systems

Posted on by Gina Uhlenbrauck

Update:

Archived video and slides from the April 4 Grand Rounds are now available on the NIH Collaboratory Grand Rounds webpage.

This Friday’s NIH Collaboratory Grand Rounds (“Defining Denominator Populations Within and Across Complex Health Systems”) will be presented by Greg Simon, MD, MPH, of the Group Health Research Institute. Dr. Simon is the principal investigator for the NIH Collaboratory Trial “Pragmatic Trial of Population-Based Programs to Prevent Suicide Attempt” (detailed description available here).

The Grand Rounds presentation will take place from 1:00-2:00 PM Eastern time on Friday, April 4. Archived video and slide sets from the presentation will be available early the following week; links to archived material will be provided in an update to this post.

LIRE Pragmatic Clinical Trial Begins Randomization

Posted on by Gina Uhlenbrauck

One of the NIH Collaboratory’s initial NIH Collaboratory Trial, the Lumbar Image Reporting with Epidemiology (LIRE) study, has begun randomization in early April. The LIRE trial is designed to test whether inserting additional epidemiological information into the lumbar spine imaging reports of patients being treated for lower back pain can help both doctors and patients to better understand and interpret the reports. This in turn could help doctors avoid subjecting patients to unnecessary tests and procedures.

LIRE is a cluster randomized trial, which means that instead of randomizing individual patients, whole clinics (one at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit; one at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, with more to follow) are randomly assigned to provide either the experimental treatment or the control treatment to patients.

Cluster-randomized trials offer a number of advantages, including the avoidance of certain kinds of bias that can effect the outcome of a study, but they also raise special issues that can require careful consideration.

The principal investigator of the LIRE trial is Dr. Jeffrey Jarvik  of the University of Washington. You can read more about the LIRE trial here.

STOP CRC Study Featured on NPR Health Blog

Posted on by Gina Uhlenbrauck

The Strategies and Opportunities to Stop Colon Cancer in Priority Populations (STOP CRC) study was recently featured on National Public Radio’s Shots Blog, which is devoted to coverage and discussion of health and healthcare issues.

Picture of U.S. stop sign.
Public-domain image via Wikimedia Commons.

STOP CRC, which is exploring innovative approaches for increasing colon cancer screening rates among low-income and minority populations, is one of the seven UH2 pilot projects supported by the NIH Collaboratory. The demonstration phase of the project will be conducted within a pair of health centers that are part of OCHIN, a community-based network of Federally Qualified Health Centers.

More information about about STOP CRC is available here.