Maria Hondras, D.C., M.P.H. |
The U.S. Health Resources and Services
Administration (HRSA) awarded a grant for
$310,479 to the Palmer Center for Chiropractic
Research (PCCR) last fall to establish a practicebased
research network to assess complementary
and alternative medicine models of pain management.
This is a collaborative research project,
with Palmer sub-contracting for half of the
grant amount ($155,239) to the Jefferson-Myrna
Brind Center for Integrative Medicine (JMBCIM)
at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in
Philadelphia, Pa.
The purpose of this project is to develop the
infrastructure for a comprehensive, descriptive
database for a variety of pain management
protocols, to test data collection protocols, and
to establish a network of participating practices,
clinicians and patient populations. To obtain
this information, chiropractors who practice
in the Palmer Chiropractic Clinics at all three
Palmer campuses, along with CAM providers
at JMBCIM will be invited to complete a webbased
survey.
“A long-term goal is to establish a large, painfocused,
practice-based research network of
doctors of chiropractic who systematically collect
health outcomes assessments from their patients
and track outcomes,” said Principal Investigator
Maria Hondras, D.C., M.P.H., who is a faculty
member at the PCCR. Other Palmer researchers
involved in this project are Co-investigator
Christine Goertz, D.C., Ph.D., vice chancellor
for Research and Health Policy for Palmer, and
Biostatistician/Co-investigator Cynthia Long,
Ph.D., who heads the Office of Data Management
& Biostatistics for the PCCR. Co-investigators
from the JMBCIM are Daniel Monti, M.D., and
Joel Edman, D.Sc.
The PCCR Office of Data Management & Biostatistics will serve as
the Data Coordinating Center for the new practice-based research
network (PBRN). JMBCIM investigators will collaborate to co-develop
the protocols and oversight mechanisms to sustain the practicebased
network efforts. PCCR and JMBCIM investigators have also
built collaborative relationships with complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM) leaders from a variety of disciplines who will serve
on the PBRN steering committee.
“We are interested in learning more about the practice characteristics
and attitudes about participating in PBRN activities from the CAM
practitioners who will be part of the proposed CAM-PBRN,” added
Dr. Hondras.
In addition, later in 2009, a pilot project will be initiated to collect
patient-centered data, at least from the Palmer outpatient clinics
and the JMBCIM, and possibly at steering committee institutions.
“The overall purpose of the pilot project is to assess the feasibility
of systematically collecting baseline health outcomes assessment
from patients with low back pain who visit different types of
providers,” said Dr. Hondras. “At the conclusion of this one-year
PBRN start-up project, we will be well positioned to prepare a
competitive grant proposal for sustaining our efforts and conducting
follow-up studies at all of the Palmer Chiropractic Clinics.”