June 2018 Notable Media Mentions
We regularly share highlights from news coverage of our work, including the growing collection of results from our funded studies. Here are some recent examples:
Patient-Centered Care Requires Breaking Old TraditionsHouston Chronicle, June 5, 2018
In an op-ed, PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, MD, MPH, says shared decision making lies at the heart of patient-centered care. Shared decision making means a patient and doctor have worked together to weigh benefits and risks of treatment options, he writes, and together they make the best decision based on the individual patient’s needs and preferences. Selby writes, “Patient-centered care can be achieved through shared decision making and breaking down the traditional barriers between clinical practice and community health.” The essay also appeared in other newspapers, including the San Antonio Express News and the Laredo Morning Times.
Patients, Family Caregivers Talk Tough on Care TransitionAAFP News, June 28, 2018
This official online news publication from the American Academy of Family Physicians describes the results from a PCORI-funded study on what patients and caregivers want most in transitions from hospital to home or a nursing facility. The study team reported in Annals of Family Medicine that patients and caregivers want to feel prepared and cared for, among other things. “We have 2,000 pages of testimony from patients and caregivers, and the stories are powerful,” says the paper’s lead author, Suzanne Mitchell, MD, of Boston University. “Some of the experiences are good, but a lot of them are not.”
Groups Seek to Develop Atrial Fibrillation Decision ToolsHealth Data Management, June 12, 2018
This trade publication report describes the DECIDE Center, which was just funded by PCORI and the American Heart Association. At the center, researchers will examine decision aids to determine what type most effectively promotes shared decision making between patients with atrial fibrillation and their providers. “Two decision aid support tools are being developed—the first is for patients with atrial fibrillation to use on their own before an office visit, with the second tool to be used with the doctor during the visit,” the article says. Additional coverage of this project appeared in Philanthropy News Digest.
Better Physician Ratings from Discussing PROs with PatientsNEJM Catalyst, June 20, 2018
Patient-reported outcomes, or PROs, are of increasing interest among clinicians and researchers, but it’s still unclear how to systematically use them to best effect. This piece says PROs directly correlate with patient satisfaction, adding that “patients who reported that physicians were discussing their PRO responses during office visits reported significantly better ratings of physician communication and shared decision-making.” The article says that PCORI embodies patient-centeredness.
Why We Tweet: Neurologists Tell AllNeurology Today, June 21, 2018
In an interview, Lynne P. Taylor, MD, a neurologist at the University of Washington, talks about how she uses Twitter. Taylor says her proudest Twitter moment came when another user invited her to participate in a PCORI-funded project on optimizing palliative care for patients with brain cancer and their families.
Stay tuned for more highlights of our work.