# Advancing patient-centered decision making in older adults with venous thromboembolism

> **NIH NIH K76** · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · 2024 · $243,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Although venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a disease of aging, the current evidence base neglects older
adults’ priorities, which prevents patients and clinicians from making individualized VTE treatment decisions.
VTE and its treatment are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality for older adults, yet existing data
offer few insights into real-world VTE outcomes in older adults, and the current age-agnostic decision
framework does not incorporate their unique experiences or values. Aging-focused evidence on VTE that
expands beyond disease-focused predictors and outcomes would guide a new paradigm for treatment and
improved quality of care.
My overarching goal is to build a backbone of data to support individualized treatment decisions among older
adults with VTE using qualitative methods to elucidate core decision-making priorities, high-quality existing
data to detail how VTE is associated with aging-related characteristics and outcomes, and risk prediction
modeling to estimate bleeding risk specific to older adults on long-term anticoagulants to prevent recurrent
VTE. These insights will inform subsequent interventions to align VTE treatment with current best practices
from geriatrics and older adults’ values.
We propose the following Aims: Aim 1) Engage stakeholders to identify core components of individualized VTE
treatment decision-making for older adults, Aim 2) Use two powerful and complementary existing data sources
to describe the presentation, treatment, and outcomes of VTE in two large cohorts of older adults with VTE,
and Aim 3) Develop and externally validate a clinical risk model incorporating geriatric syndromes to predict
anticoagulation-related bleeding in older adults after VTE. This proposal will have a significant impact because
it will produce evidence to guide a paradigm for VTE treatment that is founded on older adults’ experiences
and priorities and will result in improved care. Through this award, I will obtain advanced training in stakeholder
engagement, user-centered design and clinical trials of design aids, experience building a real-world cohort
and advanced causal inference methods, and risk prediction modeling, along with mentorship from national
leaders in the field. This research and training will provide a foundation for my long-term goal of transitioning to
an independent researcher to develop interventions to improve the health and well-being of older adults with
non-malignant hematologic diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10954353
- **Project number:** 1K76AG083304-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- **Principal Investigator:** Anna L Parks
- **Activity code:** K76 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $243,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2029-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10954353

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10954353, Advancing patient-centered decision making in older adults with venous thromboembolism (1K76AG083304-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10954353. Licensed CC0.

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