This post was authored by Joe Selby, MD, MPH, executive director of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

Dedicated to improving decision making around common, burdensome health care issues, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) views cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart disease and stroke, as a critically important topic for research. CVD is the leading cause of deaths in the US, accounting for approximately one third of all deaths. Not surprisingly, it is the single most commonly studied topic in PCORI’s research portfolio.

PCORI was created to be a comparative effectiveness research (CER) institute, dedicated to addressing gaps in knowledge and in communication that leads to poor decisions and poor outcomes. We rely on patients and other stakeholders to guide our work by identifying topics, participating in research and helping us disseminate findings. Involving stakeholders throughout the research process means we’re more likely to produce relevant, timely answers to the important questions patients and other clinical care decision makers have.

The American College of Cardiology has provided valuable input that continues to inform PCORI’s work. Commenting on our National Priorities for Research and Research Agenda, ACC said:

“PCORI should strongly consider research designs that incorporate the use of research on real patients using clinical registry data. Registry data are incredibly powerful because they are not subject to the limitations of clinical trials, and instead capture real-time medical patient information and practice trends, providing greater opportunity for deeper assessments of the patient experience.”

A study PCORI funded last year follows this recommendation. Using registry data from ACC and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, researchers at Duke University will create and assess shared decision-making tools to help patients with aortic heart valve disease understand the risks and benefits of alternative treatments. New and effective options for treating this common and progressively disabling condition increase the need for decision-support tools.

Studies like these reflect the real-world challenges patients and clinicians face in supporting cardiovascular health and demonstrate our commitment to solicit and use feedback from the health care community.

We’re building the infrastructure to support more studies like this through PCORnet: The National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, which will be a resource of clinical and registry data to support rapid, efficient comparative studies.

American Heart Month is an opportunity to recognize that – despite great advances in cardiovascular care – we have plenty of work ahead of us in improving the quality and utility of information available to support patients and clinicians. Over the next two years, PCORI will invest nearly $1 billion in new research.

That work began Feb. 5 with eight funding announcements, offering up to $206 million in support for a range of patient-centered CER projects. Included is a new Pragmatic Clinical Studies Initiative and one of our priority topics is the reduction of CVD risk in underserved populations, including racial and ethnic minorities and those living in rural communities.

Letters of intent for these opportunities are due March 7. I hope you will explore how you, your colleagues and institutions can be involved in this and PCORI’s broader work to improve patient outcomes.

*Statements or opinions expressed on the Blog reflect the views of the contributor, and do not reflect the official views of the ACC, unless otherwise noted.

< Back to Listings