Development and Implementation of the Military Treatment Facility Engagement Committee (MTFEC) to support Pragmatic Clinical Trials in the Military Health System

Abstract

Within the population of military service members and veterans, chronic pain is highly prevalent, often complex, and frequently related to traumatic experiences that are more likely to occur to members of this demographic, such as individuals with traumatic brain injury or limb loss. In September 2017, the NIH-DoD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory (PMC) was formed as a significant and innovative inter-government agency partnership to support a multi-component research initiative focusing on non-pharmacological approaches for pain management addressing the needs of service members and veterans. A Pain Management Collaboratory Coordinating Center (PMC3) was also established to facilitate collective learning across the PCTs and to optimize the impact of the PMC as an integrated whole. Although the DoD and VA health systems are ideal sites for the enactment of PCTs, executing these trials within the local context of military treatment facilities (MTFs) can present unique challenges. The Military Treatment Facility Engagement Committee (MTFEC) was created to support the efforts of the PMC3 in its role as a national resource for development and refinement of innovative tools, best practices, and other resources in the conduct of high impact PCTs. The MTFEC is comprised of experts from each service who bring experiences in executing clinical pain management trials that can enhance the planning phase of the PCTs. It provides expertise and leadership in the execution of research studies within the Military Health System (MHS), with guidance from PMC3 Directors and in collaboration with NIH, DoD and VA program and scientific officers. Considering the importance of enacting large-scale, pragmatic studies and strategies to implement effective strategies in clinical practice for chronic pain management, the MTFEC has fulfilled its purpose to identify potential barriers with study implementation and explore how the PMC can support and aid in the execution of PCTs by applying similar approaches to stakeholder and subject matter engagement for their research.

Publication
Manuscript under review at Military Medicine, 2019 Military Health System Research Symposium supplement
Date