The North American Primary Care Research Group is proposing to promote, convene, coordinate, manage, evaluate and disseminate the results of the 10th, 11th and 12th annual national meeting of the Practice-Based Research Networks to be held in the summers of 2014, 2015 and 2016. NAPCRG has now successfully hosted a PBRN Conference (held June 20 - 21, 2012) and attracted 200 attendees. With a three-year grant, the organization would like additional lead time before the conference, facilitating improved planning and meeting management. With the guidance of a Principal Investigator and Steering Committee experienced with PBRNs and prior PBRN conferences, each year NAPCRG will select plenary speakers and employ a call for abstracts to select papers, workshops and poster sessions. Conference sessions will address the science of research and operation of PBRNs, and provide for presentation of studies focusing on practice improvement, behavioral health, patient safety, health information technology/electronic health records, diagnosis and treatment issues encountered in primary care practice, and prevention. NAPCRG will provide all conference administrative services-including coordination of the Steering Committee, a call for abstracts and selection of presentations, conference logistics and onsite management, conference promotion and registration, continuing education accreditation, conference evaluation, and dissemination of conference summaries and presentations. For PBRNs to thrive, focus on the research important to communities and practices, and advance the state of primary care delivery, this conference grant will provide an opportunity for conference participants to share their skills, knowledge, and outcomes. The previous eight annual PBRN meetings have proven to be of assistance to the PBRN community in sharing research methodologies and outcomes and operational strategies and concerns. Attendees will include a diverse mix of stakeholders involved in PBRN research including academicians, researchers of all health professional disciplines and geographic locations, policy makers, practicing clinicians, and other health professionals involved in PBRN research and operations. Conference outcomes will be disseminated to conference attendees as well as those unable to attend through publication of papers and a summary in peer-reviewed journals, web postings, email communications, and social networking sites. In addition, NAPCRG will record and post podcasts of select papers on its website, and invite links to the podcasts from other organization websites, including AHRQ.
The purpose of the proposed national Practice-Based Research Network conference to be convened annually from 2014 through 2016 is to enhance the skills and knowledge of U.S. clinicians and researchers in evidence-based research in order to improve the health of the U.S. population and the quality of the primary health care they receive. This support for PBRNs will facilitate AHRQ in achieving its mission to link research with clinical practice -especially primary care practice-by providing opportunity for necessary conversations among conference attendees to share research design, innovations and results and ultimately improve the delivery of primary health care.
