What is personal maturity?

Our lives are journeys. We can consider ourselves mature when we have ceased to be a passenger in life and have become the pilot, choosing our own path. Rather than striving to meet others’ expectations of us, we are setting our own course.

When we recognize and accept our individual strengths and weaknesses, we become self-aware. We can tell the difference between a goal we might stretch to meet and a fantasy or dream. We make intentional and realistic decisions and choices, working toward long-term personal priorities rather than short-term external validation. We are able to gauge the true cost of our tasks, in time, effort, and money. The short- and long-term effects of opportunities we accept or reject are visible to us.

Adulting is only part of developing maturity. Ask yourself what steps you can take to enhance your personal maturity.

Would You Like to Help Plan or Conduct Health Care Research?

Yes, it’s an important contribution to be part of the subject population of a research project. That’s a good way to participate in research. Some of us think our life experiences might also be useful in designing and operating a research project.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has created a collection of peer-reviewed articles outlining best practices for non-researcher engagement in health research. These articles would not only be of interest to researchers intending to involve more stakeholders in their research, but also to patients, family members, carers, and community members.

The Engagement in Health Research Literature Explorer categorizes pertinent articles in three ways:  by article type, expectations of partnership, and impact. Types of articles in the database include:

• Studies of engagement
• Descriptions of engagement practice
• Engagement resources
• Frameworks or models

and more. Expectations for research partnerships include:

• Building capacity to work as a team
• Early and ongoing engagement
• Representative involvement
• Meaningful inclusion in decision making

Impacts may be on the research itself, on the partners or researchers, or on healthcare and health.

If you had a chance to influence how research about your medical condition is conducted, would you take it? The documents in this database may help you feel comfortable in this new patient-centered research role.

Health Care Horizon Scanning

Want to be in the know about innovations with the potential to change health care? Here’s a database of advancements created by the Patient-CenteredOutcomes Research Institute (PCORI) that you should know about. The database is called PCORI Health Care Horizon Scanning System.

Horizon scanning is a process that looks to the future of areas such as:

• access to care
• care delivery processes and settings
• costs of care
• current treatment models
• health care infrastructure
• health disparities
• patient health outcomes

Conditions covered in this database include:

• Alzheimer's disease and other dementias
• cancer
• cardiovascular diseases
• infectious diseases (including COVID-19)
• mental and behavioral health conditions
• rare diseases

Over half of the entries cover a wide range of rare diseases; cardiovascular diseases make up about three out of ten entries. Most of the interventions are pharmaceutical. Other interventions include gene therapy, monoclonal antibodies, and immunotherapy.

Trends that are likely to cause changes in the health care system within the next three years are also noted for various medical conditions. The category with the most studied trends is cancer. The two top covered trend themes are treatment models and artificial intelligence.

Video tutorials and downloadable guides to help you use the Horizon Scanning Database are available here: https://horizonscandb.pcori.org/tutorials

Would you like to provide your input as a stakeholder into the horizon scanning process? You will read a short report on a treatment or trend and comment on its potential to improve health care. You might receive a cash honorarium for your input. Here is the application form: https://ecri.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Hyd6IfC4QenVFc

Enjoy learning about advancements in care options and new treatments that have potential to change US health care.

 

Emerging Technologies and Therapeutics Reports

The Patient-CenteredOutcomes Research Institute (PCORI) funds research on patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness. These research projects aim to help members of the public make informed healthcare decisions that reflect their desired health outcomes.

Part of PCORI’s work is to summarize evidence about new drugs, devices, and healthcare technologies in the US. These summaries reside in the Emerging Technologies and Therapeutics Reports database.

The name of the institution to which the research grant was awarded is given, as is the project budget and key dates. Project summaries written by grant awardees explain key questions to be answered by the research. Both ongoing and completed projects are included in the database.

If you are interested in current research about clinical effectiveness of new and emerging medications, treatments, and healthcare technologies and how they will improve patient-centered care, you will want to keep your eye on this database.