With patient-centered research at the heart of all they do, it was only natural that the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) develop plain language summaries (PLS) of the research they have funded. This article describes how PCORI developed a template for PLS, gaining feedback on template design from the public, and produced 272 PLS of PCORI-funded studies. The lessons described, from template development and implementation, may help other organizations looking to develop their own PLS program.
Ultimately, creating a structure and process for research summary development requires balancing precision with simplicity, completeness with brevity, and what the research team knows to be true with what the audience finds important to know
Maurer et al.HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice • Vol. 5, No. 2, 2021
Lessons Learned from Developing Plain Language Summaries of Research Studies
Maureen Maurer, Joanna E. Siegel, Kirsten B. Firminger, Jane Lowers, Tania Dutta, & Jane S. Chang
HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2021;5(2):e155-e161
About PCORI
PCORI is an independent, nongovernmental organization that funds research to help patients and those who care for them—along with clinicians, purchasers, and policy makers—make better-informed decisions about the health care choices they face. PCORI funds patient-centered comparative effectiveness research on a wide range of topics, requiring that researchers engage patients and other health care stakeholders throughout the research process to better enable studies to address their concerns.