Supporting Better Science in Primary Care: A Description of Practice-based Research Networks (PBRNs) in 2011

Article Figures & Data

Table 1. Practice-based Research Network (PBRN) Characteristics (N = 131)

Primary specialty of PBRN
Mixed	53 (40.5)
Family medicine	42 (32.1)
Pediatrics	16 (12.2)
General internal medicine	8 (6.1)
Nursing	4 (3.1)
Other	8 (6.1)
Presence of members by clinical discipline
Physicians	122 (93.1)
Nurse practitioners	93 (71.0)
Physician assistants	76 (58.0)
Other clinician types	67 (51.2)
Members with an EHR (%)
51–100	64 (48.9)
26–50	35 (26.7)
1–25	22 (16.8)
None or unknown	10 (7.6)
Geographic coverage
Regional	40 (30.5)
State	36 (27.5)
Local or citywide	30 (22.9)
National	25 (19.1)
Primary affiliation
University	85 (64.9)
Not-for-profit	38 (29.0)
Professional organization	5 (3.8)
For-profit	1 (0.8)
None	0 (0)
Other	2 (1.5)
Funding sources (during past 5 years)^*
US government	83 (63.4)
Academia	63 (48.1)
Nonprofit	51 (38.9)
State/local government	32 (24.4)
Professional organization	31 (23.7)
For-profit/commercial	23 (17.6)
Government outside United States	1 (0.8)
Other sources	14 (10.7)
Target populations^*
Underserved	79 (60.3)
Low income	71 (54.2)
Minority	71 (54.2)
Inner city	51 (38.9)
Rural	49 (37.4)
No target population	42 (32.1)
Other (unspecified)	16 (12.2)
Relationship to CTSA
None	53 (40.5)
Funded with CTSA	66 (50.4)
Planning with CTSA	12 (9.2)
Multinetwork project/study (during past year)
None	36 (27.5)
None yet, but planning	38 (29.0)
No, but have in the past	10 (7.6)
Yes	47 (35.9)

Table 2. Scope of Practice-based Research Network (PBRN) Research Studies (N = 121)

Studies ever conducted, n
1–3	29 (24.0)
4–7	24 (19.8)
8–16	25 (20.7)
17–39	21 (17.4)
≥40	22 (18.2)
Used EHR for research	83 (68.6)
AHRQ priority health conditions studied (during past 5 years)^*
Diabetes mellitus	60 (49.6)
Obesity	51 (42.1)
Pulmonary disease/asthma	44 (36.4)
Cardiovascular disease	42 (34.7)
Mental health disorders	34 (28.1)
Cancer	32 (26.4)
Substance abuse	18 (14.9)
Development delays	14 (11.6)
Infectious disease (including HIV/AIDs, sexually transmitted diseases)	13 (10.7)
Dementia	11 (9.1)
Arthritis and joint disease	10 (8.3)
Pregnancy and childbirth	10 (8.3)
Study designs used (during past 5 years)^*
Observational epidemiology	66 (54.5)
Health systems/outcome research	63 (52.1)
Best practice research/modeling	61 (50.4)
Implementation research	39 (32.2)
Clinical trials	34 (28.1)
Comparative effectiveness research	31 (25.6)
Methodological research	22 (18.2)
Nonpractice-based community health intervention	18 (14.9)
Pharmaceutical clinical trials	12 (9.9)

Data provided as n (%). Ten developing PBRNs that had not completed a research project were excluded from the description of PBRN research.
↵* Multiple responses permitted.
EHR, electronic health record; AHRQ, Agency for Health care Research and Quality.

Table 3. Most Commonly Reported Practice-based Research Network (PBRN) Strengths and Challenges^*

Strengths
Leadership	86 (65.6)
Study development	79 (60.3)
Study management	76 (58.0)
Data management	71 (54.2)
Network staff	70 (53.4)
Diversity of patient population	68 (51.9)
Capacity to conduct research	60 (45.8)
Geographic distribution	59 (45.0)
Access to patient data	58 (44.3)
IRB/HIPAA	58 (44.3)
Recruitment	54 (41.2)
Computer access at practices	53 (40.5)
Research agenda setting	52 (39.7)
Challenges
Infrastructure funding	89 (67.9)
Infrastructure support	69 (52.7)
Compensation strategies	64 (48.9)
EMR availability/interface	57 (43.5)
Community participation	55 (42.0)
Provider training	52 (39.7)
Member involvement	52 (39.7)

Data provided as n (%).
↵* Reported by ≥40% of the practice-based research networks (N = 131).
IRB, institutional review board; HIPAA, Health Insurance Privacy and Accountability Act; EMR, electronic medical record.