# Incorporating PRO Data into RA Clinical Encounters using Health-IT (PACT)

> **NIH AHRQ R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2020 · $301,447

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The effective use of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) data is anticipated to play a critical role in improving
health care delivery, patient experiences with care, and outcomes. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a complex
chronic condition characterized by joint pain and inflammation, validated PROs have been used over the past
several decades to assess levels of RA disease activity and functional status. Routine assessment of PROs is
now recommended by American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelines, and quality measures to
encourage the regular collection of RA PROs have been endorsed by the National Quality Forum. Treatment
algorithms for RA rely on PROs to guide clinical decisions around use of disease-modifying drugs. Although
the effective use of PRO data in RA is known to improve health outcomes, the routine use of PROs in patients
with RA is inconsistent. Existing electronic health records (EHRs) are unable to effectively import PRO data or
visualize PROs in a way that physicians and patients can easily understand.
In response to SEN (NOT-HS-16-015), the Incorporating PRO Data into RA Clinical Encounters using Health-
IT (PACT) study aims to build an application (using real-time EHR data obtained via an application
programming interface) to visually represent the disease course of an individual with RA, including clinical and
patient-reported information that is framed within the context of accepted clinical targets. We will engage a
professional design team to work with patients and clinicians to develop a prototype front-end user-interface
that can be used to communicate PRO data to patients and clinicians during routine clinical care (Aim 1). We
will then work with our clinical informatics teams to build the application in 2 health systems and test them for
acceptability and effects on clinical work flow (Aim 2). Finally, we will test the hypothesis that use of the PRO
application during a clinical encounter will improve process and health outcomes, and patient-centered
outcomes including medication adherence and shared decision making, for patients with RA using a pragmatic
trial design (Aim 3).
Incorporating real-time, easy-to-interpret visualizations of PRO data into clinical encounters has great potential
to increase patient engagement and shared-decision making, and will drive the adoption of proven strategies
(“treat-to-target”) to improve health outcomes and reduce disability. This study aims to develop scalable health
IT interventions to fill the current gap in use of PRO data in practice, with the goal of improving outcomes for
the 1.3 million Americans with RA.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9844955
- **Project number:** 5R01HS025405-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Gabriela Schmajuk
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** AHRQ
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $301,447
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-04-01 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9844955

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9844955, Incorporating PRO Data into RA Clinical Encounters using Health-IT (PACT) (5R01HS025405-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9844955. Licensed CC0.

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