UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing has been awarded funding through the Eugene Washington Engagement Award program, an initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Led by Liza Behrens, assistant professor of nursing, the project aims to elevate the voices of nursing home residents, their families, and care teams in future patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research.
Comparative clinical effectiveness research, or CER, compares two or more different healthcare options, generating evidence to help people make better-informed health and healthcare decisions. In collaboration with provider partner AgingIN and its CEO, Susan Ryan, Behrens’ project will bring together stakeholders and develop resources to expand the ability of nursing home residents, caregivers and others to engage in CER focused on nursing home communities.
“Our goal is to create a culture within nursing homes that focuses on residents’ priorities and supports collaborative, evidence-based improvements to care,” said Behrens. “By engaging nursing home residents, their families and caregivers, nursing staff and administrators, as well as academics, regulators and patient advocates, we aim to create a sustainable partnership that informs both patient-centered research and practice.”
A core element of the network is a community advisory board, comprised of experts, caregivers and residents, to guide the development of tools and strategies that make research more accessible and relevant in various nursing home settings. Many nursing homes, especially in rural or underserved areas, lack the infrastructure to participate in research. This project will offer training support and centralized web-based resources to bridge those gaps.
“AgingIN is honored to be a partner in this groundbreaking initiative to elevate the voices of nursing home residents, families, and care teams in the research process,” said Ryan. “By co-developing tools with those who live and work in nursing homes, and building a national network of research collaborators, we’re helping to ensure that future research is truly reflective of — and responsive to — the needs of those most directly impacted."
Additionally, the network will help disseminate PCORI’s Research Fundamentals, a free online resource designed to improve engagement in patient-centered CER.
PCORI is a nonprofit organization with a mission to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence-based information that is needed to make better-informed health care decisions. Through its Engagement Award Program, PCORI is creating an expansive network of individuals, communities, and organizations who can leverage their lived experience and expertise to influence research to be more patient-centered, relevant, and useful.
About AgingIN
AgingIN is a global nonprofit dedicated to being the catalyst for person-directed living and empowered cultures in the community of one’s choice. Our consulting, technical assistance, and education services empower eldercare providers to implement lasting change and transformation that is meaningful and measurable. Formerly known as the Center for Innovation, AgingIN was born from the merging of two of the most influential voices in aging services transformation: Pioneer Network and The Green House Project.
About Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing
Penn State’s Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing is one of the largest educators of pre-licensure students in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with over 2200 undergraduate and graduate students on 12 campuses. Our college is positioned to lead the next generation of nurses and nurse scientists while enhancing the health of all people through quality care and education.