Helping Veterans speak up and make shared decisions about their diabetes care
Official title: Empowering Veterans to Actively Communicate and Engage in Shared Decision Making in Medical Visits, A randomized controlled trial
Funded at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center · NIH-11328587 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project offers a brief video-based program to help Veterans with type 2 diabetes communicate better with their doctors and stick to treatment plans.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Jesse Brown VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2022 |
| Project end | September 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01HX003131-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11328587 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Veterans with diagnosed type 2 diabetes who receive care at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center or affiliated VA clinics.
✕Less likely to help
People without type 2 diabetes, non-Veterans, or Veterans not receiving care in the participating VA system are not likely to benefit from joining this program.
What this research studies
You would be asked to take part in a randomized program where some Veterans watch a short 'Speak Up!' video that teaches ways to ask questions, share concerns, and join in decisions about diabetes care, while others get usual care. Study staff will track your medication use, ask about how confident you feel talking with clinicians, and monitor blood sugar (A1c) over time. The approach is designed to be low-cost and easy to deliver so more Veterans could use it in regular VA visits. Participation involves brief surveys and routine medical measurements, and your care team would continue managing your diabetes as usual.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If it works, the program could help Veterans improve medication adherence and lower blood sugar by making clinic visits more productive.
How similar studies have gone: A prior VA HSR&D trial of the 'Speak Up!' video showed higher communication confidence and lower A1c, so this approach has promising prior evidence.
Where this research is happening
-
Jesse Brown VA Medical Center
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gordon, Howard S. — Jesse Brown VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Gordon, Howard S.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Helping parents make informed decisions for extremely premature infants
This study is designed to help parents of very premature babies, born between 22 and 24 weeks, make informed choices about their care by providing a supportive tool that encourages open conversations with doctors about the options available, so families can feel more confident and less stressed during this tough time.
-
Helping Veterans communicate better during medical visits
This study is helping veterans with Type 2 diabetes learn how to talk more openly with their doctors during visits, using a helpful video, so they can make better choices about their health together.
-
Helping parents make informed decisions for extremely premature babies
This study is all about helping parents of very premature babies, born between 22 and 24 weeks, make tough decisions by creating a helpful tool that guides conversations with doctors about the best care options, so families can feel more supported and informed during this difficult time.
-
Understanding how octopuses integrate sensory information and make decisions
This study is exploring how octopuses use their arms to grip things by looking closely at their nervous system and movements, which could help us understand their amazing abilities better.
-
Cognitive behavioral therapy and trazodone for insomnia phenotypes with high blood pressure
A clinical study tests how CBT-I and the sleep drug trazodone work for adults with insomnia and high blood pressure, focusing on a specific sleep duration pattern.
-
NoviGuide for Newborn Care in Pakistan
A small NIH grant to test a pocket-sized decision support tool for nurses and doctors to improve newborn care in Pakistan.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.