PCOR Translation Center
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Translation Center (Translation Center) supports the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute's (PCORI's) commitment to making research findings comprehensible and useful to patients, clinicians, and others in making healthcare decisions. Drawing on AIR’s expertise in health communications, health literacy, dissemination, medicine, health services, public health, health disparities, and methods for comparative effectiveness research, the AIR-managed Translation Center prepares summaries of peer-reviewed PCORI study findings.
Building on best practices for plain language, the Translation Center developed an approach for creating two summaries of study results in a consistent format: one for healthcare professionals and one for patients and the public, written at a 6 to 8th grade reading level. As described in PCORI’s authorizing law, these materials must include considerations specific to certain subpopulations, risk factors, and comorbidities; describe research methods and limitations; and identify what further research may be needed. All summaries must be posted to PCORI’s website within 90 days of the acceptance of the final research report. The Translation Center cognitively tests the summaries with intended audiences, including patients and clinicians, and translates summaries into Spanish.
The Translation Center also creates plain language summaries for in-progress research studies, dissemination and implementation (D&I) projects that facilitate uptake of research findings into real-world practice, and Health Systems Implementation Initiative (HSII) projects that further adoption of research findings in care delivery settings.
Additionally, the Translation Center supports PCORI’s efforts to disseminate findings from specific PCORI-funded studies through professional medical societies and patient and community-based organizations. The Translation Center combines contextual information and findings from these studies or systematic reviews in brief and concise Evidence Updates (see example, right) for a variety of audiences, including clinicians and consumers. These updates can be distributed through interested organizations to inform their constituents.
Partners include Abt Associates and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. AIR has managed the Translation Center since 2016.
