Pro-Change was recently awarded a one-year grant by the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) to conduct both primary and secondary research which will guide the development of an online self-management program for newly diagnosed individuals with lupus. It’s estimated that there are 16,000 new cases of lupus each year.
Lupus is a devastating and life-changing autoimmune disease that currently has no cure. In the United States, lupus is more common in African-Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders than among Caucasians. The program will be designed to ensure that the needs of those minority groups are incorporated throughout.
Our research will include a literature review, analysis of needs assessments and reports, and a landscape assessment of lupus programs and interventions. It will also involve input from content experts, a cultural expert, and lupus patients through interviews, focus groups, and a survey, if needed. Based on this comprehensive research, Pro-Change will issue recommendations for self-management strategies, along with a high-level outline of the intervention structure and content.
Pro-Change Chief Science Officer and Project Lead, Dr. Deborah Levesque notes “This project aligns well with other company research and development initiatives in self-management areas such as chronic pain management, Interstitial Cystitis symptom management, and management of high blood pressure and high cholesterol.”