Oregon Health & Science University seeks Category I funding to support the development of the infrastructure for the Oregon Rural Practice Based Research Network (ORPRN). ORPRN represents a collaborative effort to define and investigate questions surrounding rural primary care practice and to address current challenges in the environment. Practicing clinical leaders in rural Oregon will define the issues and research questions. Research sites will be established at the practices of interested primary care physicians. A recent survey conducted by the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Department of Family Medicine found 42 clinicians from 20 rural communities expressing an interest in participating in a practice-based research network. The ORPRN will develop a research infrastructure to help design and implement network projects by combining the talents and resources of several entities at OHSU concerned with rural health and the quality of health care. ORPRN will be supported by the OHSU Department of Family Medicine and will involve active collaboration with the OHSU Division of Medical Informatics and Outcomes Research, the Evidence-based Practice Center at OHSU, the Office of Rural Health, the Office for Oregon Health Policy and Research, the Oregon Area Health Education Center, the OHSU Department of Public Health, and the Oregon Academy of Family Physicians.
