Clinical research and medical practices working in tandem

Research keyed to patient needs is an important goal, but obstacles must first be cleared, an Institute of Medicine workshop reports.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. March 25, 2002.

Washington -- It's a fairly certain bet that a batch of recent research findings will be of interest to many family doctors. Why is that? Because family physicians suggested the questions and carried out the research.

Conducted by members of the American Academy of Family Physicians' Federation of Practice-Based Research Networks, the projects were as varied as is family practice. Included were investigations on type 2 diabetes, screening for problem drinking, the use of handheld computers and the treatment of postpartum depression.

AAFP's federation was established in November 1997 to promote the growth and development of clinical investigation in primary care practice settings.

The project was presented at a March 7 Institute of Medicine roundtable discussion as one example of how to ensure that research findings are incorporated into physicians' practices.

John Hickner, MD, an office-based family physician for 22 years, said he had puzzled over many unanswered questions in his practice before he turned to research. Now Dr. Hickner is a professor of family practice medicine at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., and he directs the AAFP's federation.

The AAFP's initiative is not the only practice-based research enterprise around. The American Psychiatric Assn. developed a similar network in 1993, said Joyce West, PhD, the network's director. It was established to characterize the practice of psychiatry, examine patterns of care in different health systems and study the effectiveness of treatments, she said. [...]