PCORI Grants Target Telehealth Projects That Support Women

Two health systems are getting almost $10 million to explore how telehealth can be used to improve care outcomes for women.

The grants, from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), will go to the University of Washington and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Both are launching projects aimed at comparing connected care platforms with in-person treatment.

The University of Washington will receive $6 million for its SISTER Study, a six-month nationwide project aimed at improving clinical outcomes for Black/African American women living with endometrial cancer – a population that has a higher mortality rate. Some have suggested that rate is higher because these women tend to live in underserved areas and are at more risk of social isolation, which can lead to treatment delays, lower medication adherence and lower survival rates.

The UW program will enroll more than 250 women with high-risk endometrial cancer who are undergoing treatment at one of nine cancer centers across the US. While some participants will undergo traditional in-person treatment, others will take part in individual and group-based support sessions on a telehealth platform.

The program’s goal is to determine whether virtual care can reduce social isolation, and how it might affect other outcomes, including emotional stress and anxiety, heightened racial vigilance, financial stress, physical and functional quality of life and satisfaction with patient care.

UPMC, meanwhile, is getting $3.7 million to support a two-year study on how mHealth interventions can help maternity care management (MCM) programs improve perinatal treatment for women dealing with depression and anxiety.

MCM programs “can support high-risk perinatal women by screening for depression/anxiety and facilitating linkages to behavioral health providers,” UPMC researchers said in the program’s application for PCORI funding. “However, barriers such as difficulty finding a provider, lack of childcare, and long appointment wait times can limit women’s ability to obtain care in a timely manner.”

The study will compare traditional in-person treatments with services delivered through digital health channels, including mHealth apps and human coaching (HC) platforms aimed at increasing engagement through personalized content and access to resources.

UPMC researchers will enroll 900 women in the study, selecting candidates who are covered by Medicaid, are participating in the health system’s MCM program and screen positive for depression and/or anxiety. The project’s goal is to determine which connected health platforms have the best outcomes and meet patient needs and preferences.