Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC Experts Receive Research Awards From Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Dr. Krishnamurti, clinical director of hematology in the
Division of Hematology/Oncology at Children’s Hospital, is the lead investigator on a research project to create an online tool for people with sickle cell disease (SCD). SCD is an inherited disorder that affects 90,000 individuals in the United States, largely of minority origin, according to the
American Journal of Hematology. SCD is associated with chronic multisystem manifestations as well as substantial morbidity, premature mortality, individual suffering, health care costs and loss of productivity.
“Sickle cell disease is a serious disease with multiple treatment options such as a drug called hydroxyurea which modifies the course of the disease, monthly blood transfusions that decrease the proportion of abnormal red blood cells in the circulation, and bone marrow transplantation that replaces the patient's marrow with that of marrow from a matched healthy donor and essentially eliminates the production of abnormal red blood cells,” Dr. Krishnamurti said.
“These treatments can prevent complications and improve the lives of patients, but they can be associated with significant side effects. It can be difficult for families to make decisions on the treatment that is best for them, their disease severity and their preferences. This tool will help patients and families make informed decisions about the treatments that are best for their individual situation and in keeping with their values and preferences.”
Dr. Berger, member of the Child Protection Team in the
Child Advocacy Center at Children’s Hospital, will lead a research project using Children’s Hospital’s electronic medical record to help improve outcomes for children of abuse and decrease disparities in screening for child physical abuse.
“We are honored to have been awarded this grant from PCORI,” said Dr. Berger. “Child abuse truly is an under-recognized public health epidemic and is one of the leading causes of death and disability of infants and toddlers. The key to decreasing the morbidity and mortality is early detection and intervention."
“The goal of our study is to determine whether we can improve and standardize the way in which physicians and other health care professionals screen for physical abuse in infants and toddlers. By standardizing screening, we hope to decrease or even eliminate the racial disparities that currently exist in which infants and toddlers receive the recommended screening,” she added.
“These projects reflect PCORI’s commitment to support patient-centered comparative effectiveness research, a new approach to health research that emphasizes the inclusion of patients and caregivers at all stages of the study process,” said Joe Selby, M.D., M.P.H., executive director, PCORI. “The research will provide patients and those who care for them, better information about the health care decisions they face.”
All projects were selected through a highly competitive review process in which scientists, patients, caregivers and other stakeholders helped evaluate more than 400 applications for funding. Proposals were evaluated on the basis of scientific merit, how well they engage patients and other stakeholders, their methodological rigor, and how well they fit within PCORI's national research priorities.
The awards are part of PCORI's second cycle of primary research funding. This new round of funding follows PCORI's initial approval of $40.7 million in support for 25 projects under the institute's national research priorities. All awards in this most recent round of funding were approved pending completion of a business and programmatic review by PCORI staff and issuance of a formal award contract.