Associate Professor Dr. Monica Parry has been awarded a project grant from the Canadian Institute of Health Research(CIHR) for her study, Patient Engagement Partnerships in Clinical Trials (PEP-CT): Systematic Development and Testing of Patient Partner and Investigator Decision Aids.
Collaborating with Clinical Trials Ontario (CTO), Dr. Parry and co-investigators received funding from CIHR to build on two previously funded projects: 1) Building Capacity for Patient Engagement and Patient-Oriented Research in Clinical Trials (Phase 1, funded by CIHR), and 2) Building Capacity for Patient-Oriented Research (POR) in Clinical Trials, TranSlaTing the Evidence into Practice, Policy and Outcomes: The POR STEPP Digital Health Project in Ontario (Phase 2, funded by the Ontario SPOR Support Unit [OSSU]).
The overall goal of this newly-funded project is to refine, translate and evaluate two innovative digital decision aids (patient partner and investigator) designed to improve sex/gender uptake and patient engagement partnerships in clinical trials (PEP-CT). The primary objective is to assess patient and investigator decisional conflict related to patient engagement partnerships in clinical trials. Secondary objectives are to evaluate: 1) sex/gender and patient-oriented research knowledge, 2) patient acceptability and engagement with the patient partner decision aid, and 3) investigator acceptability and engagement with the investigator decision aid. The exploratory objectives are to: 1) conduct a formative evaluation of the use of the decision aids to assess the predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors that may impact the ability of each decision aid to support informed decision-making about patient engagement partnerships in clinical trial research, and 2) evaluate adoption and impact (e.g., uptake by end-users) of each of the decision aids
Patient partners have been actively engaged in Phases 1 and 2 and will continue to partner and co-lead the POR PEP-CT project. Projects are also guided by the International Patient Decision Aid Standards, User-Centered Design and the Ottawa Decision-Support Framework.
The web-based patient and investigator decision aids are the first to provide information technology to deliver sex/gender, POR knowledge, and decision support beyond the traditional aids used for health screening and/or treatment decisions. These tools will make a significant contribution to Canada’s strategy for POR and will support the collaborative efforts of patients and investigators to build a sustainable, accessible and equitable health care system.
Dr. Monica Parry’s program of research includes supportive care measures to improve the health outcomes for men and women with chronic disease. Visit Dr. Parry’s profile to learn more.