POTSDAM — St. Lawrence Health System’s Clinical Research Department has been awarded $216,359 in funding support through the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).

The award will be used for training St. Lawrence Health System providers, clinical staff, and patients in the area of patient-centered outcomes research.

The program will aim to provide education on how to best identify and address questions and outcome measures of importance to patients and the community, as well as to develop an infrastructure for a patient-centered research program within SLHS.

Clinical Research Manager Carly Lovelett is also serving as project lead on the grant. She explained a Stakeholder Advisory Committee is being established comprising provider, patient, and community representatives who will be responsible for leading the decision making, and keeping the project moving forward. SLHS rheumatologist Eyal Kedar, MD, is the grant medical lead, and SLHS pulmonologist Frederic Seifer, MD, is serving as committee co-chair.

“St. Lawrence Health System has committed to a person-centered approach to healthcare, and through the research department’s engagement with PCORI, we will further this mission while enhancing patient and physician engagement in research,” Lovelett stated. “Patient-Centered Outcomes Research gives patients a voice in research design, implementation, education, and results-sharing. By involving patients in every step of the research process, we will ensure we conduct research specifically aimed to answer questions that are most important to our patients, and to help us better understand and serve our North Country community.”

Over a two-year period, the committee will conduct interviews and surveys to gauge and then deliver on the training needs of providers and patients, establishing a hub of patient-centered outcomes research knowledge and excellence.

“The surveys will help us understand and tailor the training to attendees’ preferences and specific areas of interest. Giving future attendees some ownership over the delivery and content of the training will hopefully result in an engaging and effective learning environment,” Lovelett said.

As the program develops, strategies and results will be shared with other rural hospital systems with an interest in patient-centered outcomes research. At the end of the two-year timeline, the goal is to have both the local understanding and a framework in place for conducting patient-centered research in St. Lawrence County.

“Developing a patient-centered outcomes research program within St. Lawrence Health System is a critical part of the longer term plan of developing a successful health and clinical research center,” Dr. Kedar noted. “It answers the questions most important to patients, and provides real solutions for the delivery of safe, efficient, and effective primary and subspecialty care to rural communities. This is a major step forward for our healthcare system and our community as a whole.”