April 1, 2020

PCORnet® Tapped to Deliver Fast Answers in New Research Evaluating the Health and Outcomes of Healthcare Workers on the Front Lines of COVID-19

HERO logoAs the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic intensifies across the United States, the need for fast, reliable answers to support national health and safety has never been more important. This is exactly the type of environment PCORnet®, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, was developed to navigate. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) today announced up to $50 million in  funding for the Healthcare Worker Exposure Response & Outcomes (HERO) research program, which will use PCORnet resources to explore important questions about preventing healthcare workers from contracting COVID-19. It will include building a registry of  U.S. healthcare workers and a randomized clinical trial of the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in preventing COVID-19 infections in healthcare workers.  The HERO research program will be led by the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI).

Details about the initial announcement of this critical research initiative can be found at PCORI’s website. Further information on HERO research, its use of PCORnet resources, and how healthcare workers can participate, will be announced next week. Stay tuned for more details!