Fostering a Climate of Curiosity by Growing a Practice Based Research Network in a Primary Care Setting: Building Providers’ Research Knowledge to Improve Patient and Physician Outcomes

Poster Description:
Background:
The University of Minnesota (UMN) Practice Based Research Network (PBRN) is composed of groups of primary care providers and practices conducting community-based participatory research and advancing evidence-based care. The Primary Care Service Line (PCSL) PBRN is a collaboration between the M Health Fairview PCSL, UMN Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH), and UMN Center for Learning Health System Sciences (CLHSS). Initial goals include increasing research capacity by building provider’s knowledge of research processes, promoting evidence-based care, and facilitating innovative research that is community-engaged, interdisciplinary, and improves patient care and health outcomes in PCSL clinics. By engaging providers in research related to their own interests, including efforts to reduce physician burnout, we aim to enhance providers’ career satisfaction.

Design:
This process includes four stages: (1) develop standardized processes and tools to support the research-focused professional development of providers; (2) recruit providers within PCSL clinics as research champions (RCs); (3) build providers’ research knowledge and expertise through formal training, such as the UMN DFMCH’s Collaborative Scholarship Intensive (CSI) course and informal mentorship from research facilitators (RFs) and other research consultants; and (4) launch and promote both provider-led research and other PBRN researcher-led projects within clinics. The PCSL PBRN’s efforts build research capacity in daily primary care practice and encourage greater community participation, while focusing on improving both patient and provider outcomes. The PBRN will be held accountable to its goals through the advisement from patient/community advisory groups.

Results:
The PCSL PBRN has been successful in carrying out these four stages. Two RFs were hired, the team developed tools to assist providers’ professional development as researchers, and two RCs have been appointed with successful completion of the CSI course (another RC registered to attend). Fourteen projects have been submitted to the PCSL PBRN. Five of those projects are currently being implemented and one is led by a RC. RCs have begun increasing research capacity within clinics, resulting in additional providers engaging in research. RC-led projects actively engage providers in tackling health disparities by leveraging a practice-based lens in their research.

Conclusions:
Increasing research capacity has emphasized the importance of building relationships and trust while creating buy-in with care teams. Next steps include securing grant funding, continued expansion of PBRN infrastructure via additional RFs/RCs, and implementing more studies as awareness of the PBRN grows. As the network expands, additional health systems will be invited and encouraged to join.