Clinical Research Directory

Collaboration Oriented Approach to Controlling High Blood Pressure

Hypertension is a significant contributor to poor cardiovascular outcomes. Self-management support tools can increase patient behaviors to improve blood pressure. The investigators created a clinical decision support app, called COACH, to integrate home blood pressure data and goals into EHR reporting and workflow with communications informed by behavioral economics principles to support shared decision-making. The study aims to measure the effectiveness of the COACH intervention in a pragmatic multi-site randomized trial in a primary care setting.

Precision Medicine and Physical Function

The investigators aim to conduct a 12-week, single-arm, pre/post-intervention of b-hydroxy-methylbutyrate in persons aged 65 to 85 years to assess feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and study procedures, secondary outcomes of physical function and changes in multi-omics patterns, and exploratory outcomes that will allow the team to describe physical function phenotype. The investigators' primary outcomes are the: feasibility of the study procedures (including safety), feasibility of the intervention delivery, and acceptability of study procedures and measures. Secondary outcomes include: Objective and subjective physical function measures that predict disability including the 30-second sit-to-stand, knee strength, isokinetic strength, grip strength, gait speed, 400-m walk test, Pittsburgh Fatiguability, PROMIS global health-10, social support, anthropometry, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Cognitive toolbox, Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment (ASA-24), Community Healthy Activities Model Programs (CHAMPS), Ultrasound Imaging, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Changes in untargeted metabolomic profile data based on qualitative or semiquantitative analysis of the most probable detectable metabolites in laboratory samples , Discover potential metabolites that explain changes in physical function using a discovery science, precision medicine approach (discovery science approach that is exploratory)

Optimizing Telehealth-delivery of a Weight Loss Intervention in Older Adults

This study seeks to answer the fundamental questions of which initial, first-line weight loss intervention should be offered to older adults with obesity and multiple chronic conditions and how to address the high non-response rates observed with most conventional strategies. A sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial (SMART) design will permit the evaluation of treatment combinations that maximize weight loss and will provide data on constructing a future tailored, adaptive intervention. If successful, these findings will identify interventions that could markedly improve health and quality of life of these older adults, reduce long-term disability, and lower healthcare costs

Addressing Social Needs to Improve Health in Adults With Multiple Chronic Conditions

The investigators will conduct a comparative effectiveness randomized clinical trial with two "active comparator" arms. The investigators will evaluate the two current, usual care strategies (higher intensity "telephonic navigation" vs. lower intensity "virtual outreach") for addressing social needs among patients with multiple chronic conditions.

Developing an Innovative Decision Support Tool for Pediatric Neuromuscular Scoliosis

The goal of this pilot hybrid type I efficacy/implementation trial is to assess a newly developed decision support tool patients, parents, and providers to use during surgical treatment decision making for neuromuscular scoliosis (NMS). Results from this pilot will inform the design of a future larger effectiveness trial of the decision support tool. Participants will either receive usual care or receive the decision support tool. Researchers will assess the decision made, decision quality, individual affective, cognitive, and behavioral effects, and feasibility and acceptability of tool use. They will also collect potential barriers and facilitators to implementation and feedback about the tool and study design to maximize likelihood of successful deployment of the tool into clinical practice and inform the design of a future trial. The outcomes measures will be used to inform potential effect size estimates to inform a future trial.

Church-based Intervention to Improve Physical Function

This is a 12-month multi-level behavioral cluster randomized trial testing a church-based intervention to improve physical function (PF) in Americans with PF limitations.

Virta Health Registry

The purpose of this registry is to establish a research data repository, comprised of data generated in the course of providing clinical services to patients treated by Virta Health, to conduct secondary research on clinical interventions and chronic diseases.

Personalized Digital Remote Monitoring for Elderly Patients

Objective This clinical investigation aims to evaluate whether the EPOCA Remote Monitoring System (RMS) enhances care for elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions and reduces unplanned hospitalizations. Key Research Questions This study will assess: * Unplanned Hospitalizations: Does EPOCA RMS reduce the total number of unplanned hospital days over 12 months? * Quality of Life \& Costs: What is the impact of EPOCA RMS on patients' quality of life and overall healthcare costs? * Survival Rates: Does EPOCA RMS improve survival rates compared to standard care? Participant Criteria Participants must: * Be 75 years or older with at least three chronic conditions. * Have experienced a hospitalization or fall in the past year. * Be randomly assigned to either the EPOCA RMS group or a control group receiving standard care. * Be monitored for 12 months, with data collected at multiple time points. Study Design * Type: Multicenter, randomized controlled trial (RCT). * Sites: Conducted across 8 hospitals in France. * Duration: 12-month follow-up. * Sample Size: 700 participants (350 per group). * Intervention Group: Remote monitoring through the EPOCA RMS, integrating connected devices and medical coordination. * Control Group: Standard care follow-up. Expected Outcomes * Reduced unplanned hospital stays and emergency visits. * Improved quality of life and patient satisfaction. * Comprehensive cost-effectiveness analysis and economic impact assessment.

AI-Augmented Motivational Interviewing Training for Primary Care

This study will examine the impact of training primary care providers (PCPs) in motivational interviewing (MI) using artificial intelligence (AI) to augment the training process. MI is a patient-centered approach to engaging patients in their own care. There will be a control group and two intervention groups, with the intervention groups receiving a different amount of MI training. The hypothesis is that the AI-augmented MI training will result in improved patient outcomes, improved clinician wellbeing, and reduced behavioral manifestation of clinician biases. This mixed-methods project will also collect qualitative data from structured interviews and focus groups with participating PCPs to examine perceived facilitators and barriers to the use of the MI approach in primary care.

Behavioral Activation + Occupational Therapy: An Innovative Intervention for Empowered Self-Management of Multiple Chronic Conditions

Approximately 45% of older adults in the U.S. have 2 or more chronic health conditions (e.g., arthritis, hypertension, diabetes) in addition to functional limitations that prevent performance of health self-management activities. Self-management continues to be the gold standard for managing MCC, but functional limitations create difficulty with these activities (e.g., physical activity, symptom monitoring). Restricted self-management accelerates the downward spiral of disability and accumulating chronic conditions which, in turn, increases rates of institutionalization and death by 5-fold. Currently, there are no tested interventions designed to improve independence in health self-management activities in older adults with MCC and functional limitations. Research suggests that older adults are more likely to change behavior with interventions that assist with planning health-promoting daily activities, especially when contending with complex medical regimens and functional limitations. Combined with occupational therapy (OT), behavioral activation (BA) shows promise to improve health self-management in populations with chronic conditions and/or functional limitations. This innovative combination uses the goal setting, scheduling/monitoring activities, and problem-solving components of the BA approach as well as the environmental modification, activity adaptation, and focus on daily routines from OT practice. The investigators will test the effect of this combined approach in a Stage I, randomized controlled pilot feasibility study compared to enhanced usual care. The investigators will recruit 40 older adults with MCC and functional limitation and randomize 20 to the PI- delivered BA-OT protocol. This research will inform modification and larger-scale testing of this novel intervention and provide data for a federally funded career development award.

Real-time Symptom Monitoring Using ePROs to Prevent Adverse Events During Care Transitions

This study aims to predict and minimize post-discharge adverse events (AEs) during care transitions through early identification and escalation of patient-reported symptoms to inpatient and ambulatory clinicians by way of predictive algorithms and clinically integrated digital health apps. We will (1) develop and prospectively validate a predictive model of post-discharge AEs for patients with multiple chronic conditions (MCC); (2) combine, adapt, extend, and iteratively refine our EHR-integrated digital health infrastructure in a series of design sessions with patient and clinician participants; (3) conduct a RCT to evaluate the impact of ePRO monitoring on post-discharge AEs for MCC patients discharged from the general medicine service across Brigham Health; and (4) use mixed methods to evaluate barriers and facilitators of implementation and use as we develop a plan for sustainability, scale, and dissemination.