Project on mobility after spinal cord injury approved for a $249,805 Engagement Award
The University of Washington School of Medicine Department of Rehabilitation has been approved for a $249,805 funding award through the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award Program, an initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). The funds will support the project Building Capacity for Engagement Related to Mobility After Spinal Cord Injury.
Professor Jeanne Hoffman, PhD, along with Lynn Worobey, DPT, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh, will lead the engagement project. This project aims to address the complex issue of mobility following a spinal cord injury (SCI). Mobility is a critical aspect of societal participation and influences how an individual navigates their home and community environments. However, the way mobility is currently measured and approached often follows an ableist model, limiting patient choice. The project team proposes a stepwise approach to this problem, involving key stakeholders in the development of a research agenda.
The goal of the project is to form a team of trained stakeholders, including patients with SCI and rehabilitation professionals. This team will work together to develop a patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) agenda on mobility after SCI. The project will be carried out over two years, with the first year focused on training the core group and identifying rehabilitation professionals to join the stakeholder group. The second year will involve regular meetings with the rehabilitation professional group and the core group, with the aim of finalizing priorities for future research phases.
United Spinal Association, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering and advocating for people with SCIs and all wheelchair users, and Empower SCI are committed to collaborating on this project. They will aid in understanding stakeholder needs and disseminating findings. The project team plans to disseminate study findings in partnership with the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), which draws in physicians, therapists, psychologists, and other rehabilitation professionals who practice clinically, as well as researchers.
Dr. Hoffman says, "This project is an important step in addressing the complex issues surrounding mobility after spinal cord injury. By engaging patients and rehabilitation professionals as stakeholders, we aim to develop a research agenda that truly reflects the needs and priorities of those affected by SCI."
The "Building Capacity for Engagement Related to Mobility After Spinal Cord Injury" project is part of a portfolio of projects that PCORI has funded to help develop a community of patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other stakeholders who are better equipped to engage as partners in all phases of patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) and to disseminate PCORI-funded study results. Through its Engagement Award Program, PCORI is creating an expansive network of individuals, communities, and organizations who are able to leverage their lived experience and expertise to influence research to be more patient-centered, relevant, and useful.
According to Greg Martin, PCORI’s Chief of Engagement, Dissemination and Implementation, “This project was selected for Engagement Award funding because it will build a community equipped to engage as partners in patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research. We look forward to working with the University of Washington School of Medicine throughout the course of their 24-month project.”