MIRECC / CoE

Consulting with MIDAS: What Is It Really Like? Part 2

By Ellen Fischer, PhD and the MIDAS Consultation Team

MIDAS (MIRECC Implementation, Design and Analysis Support) offers a no cost service to SC MIRECC affiliates in VISN 16 and San Antonio. Over the past 15 years, MIDAS team members have provided methodologic support to emerging and seasoned investigators at all stages of research from initial design through project implementation to final manuscript revision. Team members have wide-ranging expertise in quantitative and qualitative methods, study and survey design, and data extraction and management.

For additional information:
Request MIDAS Support

Because not all eligible users are familiar with MIDAS, we have been providing a glimpse into the process of working with MIDAS. Our first piece, which appeared in the Winter 2022 Newsletter, described a collaboration with the MIDAS team on development and successful conduct of a pilot study. This second piece briefly describes some types of more limited collaboration that MIDAS has provided in support of projects that are already underway.

Request for biostatistical support:

Request: Ellen Teng, PhD, Director of the Center for Innovative Treatment of Anxiety and Stress at the Michael E. DeBakey VAMC in Houston, requested biostatistical support for analysis of a subset of data from her ongoing IIR “Improving Veteran Functioning with Intensive Transdiagnostic CBT for Anxiety.”

MIDAS Support: Amy Amspoker, PhD, a MIDAS biostatistician, is consulting with Dr. Teng’s analytic team, providing as needed consultation on appropriate analytic approaches to use with data from this RCT. Dr. Amspoker has not only provided guidance on analyses from the funded IIR, but has been asked to continue to collaborate with the team as they prepare a manuscript based on IIR findings.

Request for psychometric support:

Request: Jeffrey Pyne, MD, Director of SCMIRECC’s Research Core and a senior investigator with CeMHOR, the HSR&D COIN in Little Rock, is Principal Investigator on the HSR&D CREATE Program Project, “Development of the Perceived Access Inventory (PAI) for Mental Healthcare.” Dr. Pyne requested MIDAS support to complete psychometric analyses when, as is often the case, project funding ran out before analyses had been completed.

MIDAS Support: P. Adam Kelly, PhD, a psychometrician with MIDAS, has worked with Dr. Pyne’s analytic team to complete a set of psychometric analyses that has led to publication of a series of manuscripts on various aspects of the validity of the PAI measure. An additional manuscript exploring the relationship between PAI access measures and trust in the VA and VA providers is under review.

Request for problem-solving support:

Request: Ellen Fischer, PhD, MIDAS Director, was Principal Investigator on the HSR&D IIR, “Tailoring Interventions for Rural Veterans: What Do We Need to Know.” The final stage of the 5-year project was a telephone survey of some 750 Veterans in four separate VISNS. As project investigators prepared for the telephone survey, questions arose regarding the approved stratified sampling strategy. Dr. Fischer requested consultation from MIDAS to brainstorm around the concerns raised and the best approach to generate a representative sample that would not overly constrain study findings.

MIDAS Support: Songthip Ounpraseuth, PhD, and the late Nancy Petersen, PhD, MIDAS biostatisticians, reviewed the approved protocol and sampling strategy, then met with project investigators and statisticians. The revised sampling strategy generated through that one-time brainstorming session was employed successfully in recruiting the telephone survey sample. Results of the survey have been published with no concerns raised by reviewers about the final sampling strategy.

MIDAS is proud to have been able to contribute to the success of these projects.

Could MIDAS Help You? If you could use support with design, review and/or conduct of your research, we are eager to hear from you.

Last updated: October 23, 2023