Primary Care Research Methods & Statistic Conference, December 2-4, 2005, The Menger Hotel. Background. There is continuing need to expand research in the primary care setting. Purpose. The purpose of the Primary Care Research Methods & Statistics Conference is to increase capacity in primary care research by 1) Helping novice researchers develop basic research skills; and 2) Helping experienced researchers expand their repertoire of research methodologies. AHRQ Conference Objectives. The Primary Care Research Methods & Statistics Conference is designed to address AHRQ conference #2). Design and Methodology: the conference solicits and presents sessions on methodological and technical issues important to the field of health services research. The conference is particularly interested in soliciting sessions on new and/or emerging methodologies in the area of primary research. Methods. For novice researchers, the conference is designed to help develop basic research skills such as planning, conducting, and communicating results of simple research studies. This goal will be addressed through the Methods Workshop for the Novice Researcher, the basic Methodology track, the AHRQ Review of Concept Papers Workshop, The Research Career Planning panel discussion, and opportunities for networking with intermediate and experienced researchers present at the conference. For experienced researchers, the conference is designed to expand their repertoire of research techniques and statistical approaches to help them conduct high-quality, sophisticated studies addressing complex questions in primary care. Experienced researchers will benefit from the pre-conference Experienced Workshop (""""""""Design and Analysis of Group-Randomized Trials""""""""), the Statistical track, the Thematic track (""""""""Patient Safety & Medical Errors""""""""), the Dissection of Innovative Studies Workshop (""""""""Cluster Randomized Trials: Design and Analysis of Rigorous Evaluations of Dissemination and Implementation Strategies""""""""), the Plenary Sessions, and the Methodological Think Tank process. Evaluation. Each conference session is evaluated by attendees and a session Moderator. The Moderator also evaluates the presenter's speaking abilities. Finally, each attendee is asked to complete a summative evaluation of the conference, which also solicits their input regarding future conference themes, potential speakers, and possible content tracks. Evaluations are collated and considered by the multidisciplinary Program Committee during the planning stage of each year's conference.
