# Methods Core

> **NIH NIH P50** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $1,158,686

## Abstract

Abstract
The failure to move technology-enabled services (TESs) from research to sustainable implementation in real
world settings is an indictment of our research methods. To date, the majority of TESs have focused most of
the design efforts solely on the technology, have included inadequate stakeholder input, and were developed
and evaluated outside of the healthcare systems where they are intended to be deployed. Furthermore, our
evaluation methods can be long, resulting in technologies that are obsolete by the end of a multiphase
evaluation. To address these problems, the Methods Core will apply and refine our Accelerated Create-to-
Sustainment (ACTS) research method. To achieve the Center’s goal, the Methods Core will focus on
methodological innovations, including creating an overarching research framework that is rapid and responsive
to the needs of key stakeholders’ healthcare environment. From the very beginning, we engage key
stakeholders at multiple levels in a comprehensive design process to produce an integrated blueprint for the
technologies, service protocol, and implementation plan. This plan is then iteratively refined with stakeholders
until a TES prototype (technologies, services) and an implementation plan is created. The TES is then
evaluated through a rapid trial that evaluates the effectiveness, obtains information on implementation, and
allows for continuous quality improvement. The ACTS model is rapid, accelerating the evaluation process by
integrating optimization into the simultaneous evaluation of both effectiveness and implementation. The ACTS
model is also responsive, engaging key stakeholders from the very beginning, and keeping them engaged in
an iterative improvement process throughout the design and evaluation phases. Given the high level of
integration across the research projects (RPs), both conceptually and in terms of work, and the novelty of
much of the work, the Methods Core will provide almost all of the research infrastructure necessary to support
the success of the three Research Projects. It will include a highly interdisciplinary team in human computer
interaction, implementation science, psychology, public health, software engineering, biostatistics, biomedical
informatics, and trial methodology. In addition to research support to the RPs, the Methods core also has 3
scientific aims: (1) Evaluate key outcomes and the experimental therapeutics model across RPs to improve our
understanding of engagement on TES use and outcomes. (2) Develop an initial guideline document that
describes the ACTS model research processes, refined through application across the RPs. (3) Develop an
taxonomy of the TES features, including the technology, service protocols, and organizational factors relevant
to implementation, which will represent the design and implementation knowledge acquired through the RPs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9932043
- **Project number:** 1P50MH119029-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Madhu C Reddy
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,158,686
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9932043

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9932043, Methods Core (1P50MH119029-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9932043. Licensed CC0.

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