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The PIONEER Comparative Effectiveness Study - Project 2
Sponsor: University of Michigan
Summary
This is a pragmatic, open-label, multicenter, stepped-wedge, Type II hybrid effectiveness-implementation study. It is designed to evaluate both the comparative effectiveness and implementation feasibility of a biomarker-plus-clinical guidelines algorithm to reduce low-value brain computed tomography (CT) use in emergency department (ED) patients evaluated for suspected traumatic brain injury (TBI). The biomarkers are Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) and Carboxy-terminal Hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), two brain-injury proteins cleared by the FDA to support brain CT imaging decisions after trauma. All six participating EDs will contribute baseline data for the first 6 months under usual care (clinical guidelines only). Beginning in month 7, two sites will transition to implementing the biomarker-guided algorithm. At month 13, two additional sites will implement the biomarker-guided approach, and the final two sites will transition at month 19. By the end of the 24-month rollout period, all sites will have implemented the biomarker-guided pathway.
Official title: Comparing the Effectiveness of a Biomarker-plus-clinical Guidelines Algorithm Versus Clinical Guidelines Only for Safely Decreasing Brain Computed Tomography Utilization During Brain Injury Evaluations: The PIONEER Comparative Effectiveness Study
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
3000
Start Date
2026-10-01
Completion Date
2029-01
Last Updated
2026-09-18
Healthy Volunteers
No
Interventions
Clinical pathway 1: Guidelines plus biomarkers
Patients will be managed using an algorithm that integrates the Canadian Head CT Rule (CHCR) with iSTAT whole-blood GFAP and UCH-L1 testing. Patients who meet CHCR criteria for CT imaging and those whose CT imaging decision-making is not covered by CHCR (e.g., no loss of consciousness or amnesia) will receive iSTAT testing. Sites will be assigned to one of three implementation waves, with two sites transitioning to the Guidelines + Biomarkers phase every six months. Prior to their assigned transition, sites will continue to use guidelines alone. Once a site transitions to the Guidelines + Biomarkers phase, the integrated biomarker-guided algorithm will become the standard-of-care protocol at that site for eligible patients and will remain the standard of care for the remainder of the study.
Clinical guidelines only
During the baseline phase, sites will rely solely on established clinical guidelines to guide brain CT utilization in patients with suspected TBI. Specifically, providers will apply the Canadian CT Head Rule, a validated decision instrument that identifies patients at high risk for clinically important brain injury who require CT imaging. All sites will begin in this Guidelines-Only baseline phase and will continue using this approach until their assigned transition to the Guidelines + Biomarkers phase. Sites will transition in three waves, with two sites transitioning every six months.
Locations (6)
UCLA-Olive View Medical Center
Sylmar, California, United States
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Torrance, California, United States
Henry Ford Macomb (HFM)
Clinton Township, Michigan, United States
Henry Ford Hospital (HFH)
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Adventist Health Portland (AHP)
Portland, Oregon, United States
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)
Portland, Oregon, United States