Health Relevance

The Health Care Systems (HCS) Research Collaboratory program is working to strengthen the national capacity to implement cost-effective, large-scale research studies where health care delivery organizations are research partners. Results from traditional clinical trials performed in controlled settings on a tightly defined group of individuals have limited relevance in real-world health care settings. The Collaboratory supports implementation of clinical trials called “pragmatic clinical trials,” which are conducted at the site of care with healthcare delivery organizations actively participating in the research.

This program is providing a framework of implementation methods and best practices to enable participation by many health care systems. These methods and practices are being honed within the context of pragmatic clinical trials, which measure the effectiveness of treatment options in real-world settings. A Coordinating Center serves as the central resource for the guidelines and practices developed by the Collaboratory, which it distributes to the research community through a living textbook (link is external). The pragmatic clinical trial projects supported by the Collaboratory address questions of major public health impact. Information regarding whether the interventions improve health outcomes of patients will be broadly disseminated through a variety of mechanisms to help improve provider decision making and patient outcomes.

Current pragmatic trials are investigating the following topics:

• Self-management skills for chronic pain (link is external)
• Improving the rates of colorectal cancer screening (link is external)
• Outreach mechanisms for suicide prevention (link is external)
• Optimizing length of kidney dialysis sessions (link is external)
• Methods for reporting spine imaging results to prevent unnecessary treatment (link is external)
• Bathing techniques for patients to prevent MRSA infections (link is external)
• Video education on advance care planning in nursing homes (link is external)
• Using electronic health records to support integrative treatment of chronic diseases (link is external)
• Care for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (link is external)
• Advanced care planning for elderly cancer patients (link is external)
• Control of phosphate levels for patients undergoing kidney dialysis (link is external)
• Training parents in methods to help prevent substance abuse in their adolescent children (link is external)
• Guidance for emergency department physicians dealing with opioid overdoses (link is external)
• Improving cardiovascular medication adherence (link is external)
• Educating emergency department physicians on palliative care for older adults (link is external) 

Why Should I Join a Clinical Trial?

Watch a video of Dr. Griffin P. Rogers, director of the NIH's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) as he discusses the importance of clinical research, why people should consider joining a clinical trial, and the vital role participants play in improving public health.

Learn more at NIH Clinical Research Trials and You and the NIDDK Clinical Trials webpages.