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About Practice-Based Research Network |
School of Nursing and Department of Biomedical Informatics (SB), Columbia University, New York, NY
Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine (RAL), Columbia University, New York, NY
Clinical Trials Network, Clinical Trials Office (LVB), Columbia University, New York, NY
Departments of Medicine and of Pharmacology (JTB), Columbia University, New York, NY
Correspondence: Corresponding author: Suzanne Bakken, RN, DNSc, FAAN, School of Nursing and Department of Biomedical Informatics, 630 W. 168th Street, Columbia University, New York, NY (E-mail: sbh22{at}columbia.edu)
| Abstract |
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Methods: We applied a mixed-methods approach (surveys, focus groups, interviews) based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model to determine the level of interest in clinical research among community clinicians (both practice-based research network [PBRN] members and non-PBRN members), the perceived barriers that hamper participation in clinical research, and the perceived facilitators for conducting research in such practices.
Results: Survey and qualitative data indicated strong interest in clinical research among current and potential PBRN members if it was relevant to improving quality of care in their practice or community. They also identified important perceived barriers (lack of time, inadequate training in research methods, lack of collaborators and support staff, institutional review board hurdles, and community distrust of research) and the necessary requirements for overcoming barriers to conducting research in busy clinical settings, which included collaborators, mentors, research support staff, and a trusting patient-clinician relationship.
Conclusion: It is feasible to conduct clinical research studies in urban community medical practices if the topics are relevant to the community and appropriate enabling structures and processes are put into place.
Although some concern has been expressed regarding a perceived shift in strategic direction at the federal level from "direct funding of a harmonized national infrastructure of cooperating networks to a model of local engagement of primary care clinics performing practice-based research under the aegis of regional academic health centers through Clinical and Translational Science Awards [CTSA]" (p. 229),11 our perspective is that the CTSA approach and the historical role of PBRNs can be complementary efforts. Consequently, through a supplement to our CTSA, we studied the feasibility of implementing clinical research in urban community practices in Northern Manhattan.6 We applied a mixed-methods approach informed by the predisposing, reinforcing, and enabling constructs of the PRECEDE-PROCEED model12 to collect data from clinicians in community practices to determine the level of interest in clinical research, the perceived barriers that hamper the participation of community medical practices in clinical research, and the perceived facilitators for conducting research in such practices.
This report primarily focuses on physicians in Ambulatory Care Network (ACN) sites in Northern Manhattan, New York City. The ACN was registered as a PBRN, the Ambulatory Care Research Network, in the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality database in 2006. In addition, where relevant we contrast the ACN data with that of clinicians from community practices with the potential to serve as research sites. We also discuss possible solutions to key perceived barriers in the ACN and potential research sites, drawing on the PBRN literature and our experience in the conduct of multisite clinical trials.
| Methods |
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Sample
The primary sample for this report was ACN physicians. Two additional groups of clinicians from potential community research sites participated in either a focus group or interview: Hispanic physicians not affiliated with the ACN and doctorally prepared nurse practitioners (DNPs) from the faculty practice of the Columbia University School of Nursing, Columbia Advanced Practice Nurse Associates. These clinicians had research qualifications similar to the ACN physicians and were recruited for an earlier phase of our research. They are included as a contrast to ACN physicians.
Institutional Review Board
The study was approved by Columbia University Medical Center Institutional Review Board. Participants provided verbal consent for participation after reviewing an information sheet and were compensated for focus group or interview participation but not for completing the survey.
Recruitment
Recruitment methods varied depending on the method judged to be most appropriate for the target group of participants. ACN physicians, the primary sample for this report, were recruited through an e-mail invitation to complete the survey. Those that completed the survey were subsequently invited to participate in a focus group in 1 of 3 ACN sites. A purposive sample of 5 community-based Hispanic physicians was nominated by a member of the research team (RAL) and personally invited to participate in an individual interview. DNPs were recruited through an e-mail invitation for focus group or interview participation.
Study Instruments
We used the predisposing, reinforcing, and enabling constructs of the PRECEDE-PROCEED model12 as the theoretical basis for developing quantitative and qualitative questions related to clinical research participation. Although the model is more typically applied to health behaviors, we considered clinical research participation to be a clinician behavior and felt that our understanding of barriers and facilitators could be informed by the model. Predisposing factors precede a behavior and can be thought of as motivation or "wanting to do."13 For our study, this was characterized as clinician interest. Enabling factors are those related to "being able to do," and for this study were the skills and resources required to conduct clinical research. Reinforcing factors are "rewards for doing" and included positive (eg, monetary or academic incentives) and negative (eg, concerns about clinical productivity) feedback received as a result of clinical research participation. Conceptualizing barriers and facilitators for clinical research in this way provides guidance for a hierarchy of potential interventions or solutions starting from strengthening interest through enabling and rewarding clinical research participation.
Based on the model, existing surveys, and our prior experience, we constructed a 40-item survey that collected information about provider demographics, clinical and research training, previous research experience, their current clinical practice and research activity, level of interest in future clinical research, barriers and incentives to participation in clinical research, and the kinds of clinical research the providers most want to conduct. Questions related to interest, barriers, and incentives were rated on a 5-point Likert scale, from strongly agree to strongly disagree (the questionnaire is available by request to the corresponding author.)
Focus group and interview questions were open-ended and targeted perceptions of barriers and facilitators related to conducting research in their setting. Questions were preceded by a general introduction to the CTSA initiative and the specific study purpose. Although general questions remained consistent during the data collection, probes were updated to reflect themes identified as the data collection and analysis evolved.
Data Collection
ACN physicians completed the survey online using SurveyMonkey (SurveyMonkey, Portland, OR) before participation in a focus group. We conducted 3 focus groups with internal medicine and family medicine physicians in the ACN. Before the data collection in the ACN, we also conducted 1 focus group and 6 individual interviews with clinicians from potential community research sites in an initial phase of the research. All focus groups and interviews were led by the same investigator (SB) and lasted approximately 1 to 1.5 hours.
Data Analysis
Survey responses were summarized using descriptive statistics. Data analysis of the qualitative data began with peer debriefing among research team members at the conclusion of the interviews or focus groups. Subsequently, transcripts of the focus groups were iteratively coded and analyzed by one investigator (SB) to generate major themes and categories. Other research team members reviewed themes and categories and the assignment of utterances to themes and categories. Suggestions for revisions were discussed among team members and final decisions were based on consensus. For the ACN physicians, qualitative data were compared with survey data to determine instances in which the qualitative data expanded in survey responses and instances in which the qualitative data contributed information not identified through the survey. Because the focus of this article is on PBRNs, qualitative data from clinicians in potential community research sites are only included in the reported results when they illustrate a new theme that was not identified from the ACN data or strongly confirm ACN data.
| Results |
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Clinician Interest in Research
Survey, focus group, and interview data strongly support clinician interest in research, an essential predisposing factor for research participation. A key motivation was the relevance of the research topic to quality of care in their setting. Top-ranked types of clinical research in terms of ACN physician interest were health services/outcomes research (88%), behavioral intervention (73%), observational (71%), retrospective (58%), dissemination (48%), and clinical trials (26%). All focus group and interview participants expressed some level of interest in research, ranging from research facilitation to serving as a site investigator for multisite clinical trials. Eighty percent of the ACN survey respondents indicated a willingness to deliver an intervention per research protocol. All DNPs had completed research course requirements as part of their clinical doctorate program.14
Barriers and Facilitators (Enabling and Reinforcing Factors)
Tables 3![]()
and 4![]()
display ACN study results related to barriers and facilitators (enabling and reinforcing factors) in 3 parts: (1) items found in both the survey and focus groups, (2) survey responses only, and (3) additional thematic categories from the focus group data. In terms of perceived barriers (Table 3![]()
), clinician time and training appeared in both survey and focus group data, whereas support staff–related barriers (eg, time, compensation, training) were identified only in the survey. Lack of time/competing demands for time was the top-ranked barrier (92%) in the survey, and 80% of ACN clinicians agreed that their lack of appropriate training was a barrier. Four thematic categories emerged only in the focus group data: (1) difficulty filling clinical sessions to enable release for compensated research time, (2) lack of collaborators to sustain research, (3) difficulties overcoming institutional review board hurdles, (4) and community distrust of research.
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ACN clinicians described the importance of enabling factors such as collaborators, mentors, and research support staff to overcome the barriers to conducting research in busy clinical settings (Table 4![]()
). The data from the Hispanic physicians was consistent with that from the ACN physicians in the need for funded research support staff, but also mentioned the importance of a respectful relationship between research partners from academia and those in the community. For example, one Hispanic physician noted, "I guess one of the most important things when you want to do this—especially with people who never had any experience—[is] a good rapport...treat others with respect; it's something very important."
The ACN physicians, Hispanic physicians, and DNPs all described the important role of the patient-provider relationship in overcoming patients reluctance for research participation. For example, one Hispanic physician commented that "...the Hispanic patient will do most of the time whatever you ask them to do because they still they have the physician in very high regard—this guy is not going to do anything to harm me..." A DNP noted that "...if there is interest in the practitioners ... patients might follow through." During focus group discussions, ACN physicians also identified several specific strategies for engaging patients/community in research (Table 4![]()
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Clinicians from potential research sites, including the DNP practice, described the important role of information systems, particularly electronic health records, in facilitating research primarily to search for potential research and patients and to retrieve data related to research variables.
Although respondents from all 3 groups (ACN, independent Hispanic physician practices, and DNPs) addressed the importance of compensation for time spent on research-related tasks. A unique category that emerged from the Hispanic physician data was the need for a stable revenue stream from research: "Neither do we want our funding to be episodic."
In terms of reinforcing factors, all ACN clinicians identified the possibility of improving the quality of care in their practice site and contributing to knowledge development as incentives for research participation (Table 4![]()
). Other important incentives were professional development, continuing medical education, collaboration with academic researchers, and recognition as a PBRN member or research collaborator. Both ACN survey respondents (60%) and Hispanic physicians in community sites identified authorship as an incentive, with one Hispanic physician stating, "...sooner or later, everybody [physicians] wants to see their name [in print]."
| Discussion |
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Enabling Factors
Most of what we learned in our study related to skills and resources (enabling factors) for conducting clinical research because the participants were already predisposed to research participation. Many clinicians felt that they lacked adequate research skills and identified the need for research training in general and for particular tasks. Most ACN clinicians were unaware of local institutional resources, such as the CTSA-supported research training and design and biostatistics consultation services, that could meet these learning needs for those clinicians who want to lead studies. Settings that lack such core resources may access external educational resources.16–19
Clinicians identified a number of other potential enablers to decrease barriers and improve their ability to participate in research, including compensation for time used for research, academic collaborators, research support staff, mentorship, and electronic health records. Several factors primarily relate to one of the key strategies from AAFP NRN: creating a practical budget that covers the cost of the study.7 Part of the selection of projects for a PBRN is to make reasonably accurate estimates of the staff effort that will be needed for the project based on the protocol and to secure a budget that will adequately support the staff. When the geographic dispersion of practices and/or clinics permits, some of the personnel can work at more than one site, permitting the sites to share the financial burden of personnel. To make such arrangements work, AAFP NRN recommends securing written agreements among team members and provides policies and model agreements.20
Our experience with multisite clinical trials indicates that, if calculated correctly, fee-for-service reimbursement is fair and the revenue is automatically adjusted for level of effort. Two relatively common problems can reduce the potential benefits of this method: (1) the underestimation of the time to conduct the protocol and (2) inefficiency in conducting the protocol; thus, it is vital to include practices and front-line staff early in protocol development. Central support units that negotiate large numbers of budgets are likely to correctly estimate research-related effort. Inefficient sites can expend more time than is reimbursed even when reimbursement is correctly estimated. The latter problem can be addressed by additional training, assessment, and consultations that improve workflow efficiency. Improving enrollment usually improves efficiency because greater research activity facilitates the learning and retaining of knowledge of the protocol. Documenting research services so that reimbursement is correct and prompt can be facilitated by software that integrates workflow support and documents research services.21
Electronic health records were primarily mentioned as an enabling factor by clinicians not currently affiliated with the ACN to support tasks such as identification of potential research subjects and conduct health services research or epidemiologic studies. This has been successful in several PBRNs,22,23 and a number of institutions have made this a strategy in their CTSA activities.
The willingness of community members to participate in clinical research was of major interest to our research team for several reasons, including the historical lack of diversity in clinical research24 and the NIH Roadmap objective of increasing diversity in clinical research. Patient-related issues such as language, functional literacy, community distrust of research in general, and complex lives were identified by the clinicians. However, many clinicians, including the 5 Hispanic clinicians from non-ACN community practices, felt that if the research was highly relevant to the community (eg, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, or depression) and was supported by study materials appropriate in language and literacy, that the trusted relationship between clinician and patient would outweigh barriers to participation for many patients. This is consistent with the findings of 2 recent studies.25,26 Within this trusted relationship, the tenets of informed consent must be carefully followed to avoid coercion.
Our institution has undertaken an additional strategy to enable patient participation in research: the establishment of a community health and information center outside of the medical center complex. The roles of this center, which is under the auspices of our CTSA, include informing the Northern Manhattan community about clinical research; enhancing recruitment from the community; and disseminating research findings to the community, including patients and families, clinicians, community organizations, community leaders, and policy makers.
Reinforcing Factors
The reinforcing factors identified in the survey and expressed in the focus group regarding clinicians desire for improving care in their own practice are consistent with a key focus of many PBRNs.27 Rewards such as recognition as a collaborator or PBRN member and continuing medical education credit were identified as incentives by more than half the survey sample and are relatively easy and low in cost to implement.
Limitations
The primary limitations of our study relate to the size of the sample and the bias inherent in a volunteer sample of clinicians choosing to participate in a survey, focus group, or interview related to clinical research. In addition, independent Hispanic physicians were purposively chosen based on their research experience and research interest. Consequently, we are uncertain about the generalizability of our study. Moreover, given the relatively small number of focus groups and interviews, it is possible that additional themes might have emerged if we had continued to collect data.
| Conclusion |
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| Acknowledgments |
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| Notes |
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Funding: This project was funded by grants and contracts from National Institutes of Health: 5UL1RR024156 and 3UL1RR024156-02S1, contract no. HHSN268200455208C.
Conflict of interest: none declared.
Received for publication January 29, 2009. Revision received April 26, 2009. Accepted for publication April 29, 2009.
| References |
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This article has been cited by other articles:
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S. Bakken and C. M Ruland Translating Clinical Informatics Interventions into Routine Clinical Care: How Can the RE-AIM Framework Help? JAMIA, November 1, 2009; 16(6): 889 - 898. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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A. V. Neale and M. A. Bowman Fourth Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine Practice-based Research Theme Issue J Am Board Fam Med, July 1, 2009; 22(4): 343 - 345. [Full Text] [PDF] |
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