VA, Stanford Test 'Point-of-Care' Diabetes Research

A team from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Stanford University is exploring a new approach to clinical trials that may be easier to translate into practice. An online article in the journal Clinical Trials describes a “point-of-care” study now under way that will involve more than 3,000 veterans with diabetes.

The trial will compare two methods of treatment like many randomized clinical trials, but the approach embeds research into routine clinical care. It compares treatments that doctors are already using, and collects data on which treatments work best within the context of real-world, everyday practice.

The approach was developed by a team led by informatics expert Louis Fiore, MD, of the VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University; and Stanford University biostatistician Philip Lavori. Co-authors include researchers at the VA Boston Healthcare System’s Massachusetts Epidemiology Research and Information Center.