@article {Sinclair-Lian353, author = {Nityamo Sinclair-Lian and Robert L. Rhyne and Shirley H. Alexander and Robert L. Williams}, title = {Practice-based Research Network Membership is Associated with Retention of Clinicians in Underserved Communities: A Research Involving Outpatient Settings Network (RIOS Net) Study}, volume = {21}, number = {4}, pages = {353--355}, year = {2008}, doi = {10.3122/jabfm.2008.04.080022}, publisher = {The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine}, abstract = {Background: Professional isolation is a barrier to practicing in rural and underserved communities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between membership in a practice-based research network and the length of employment in members{\textquoteright} and nonmembers{\textquoteright} current clinic sites.Methods: This was a cross sectional study of 7 group practices (2 urban and 5 rural groups comprising 22 clinic sites) throughout New Mexico that had RIOS Net member and nonmember practicing clinicians.Results: The 22 clinics employed 95 clinicians, of which 43\% were RIOS Net members (21 of 59 MDs, 8 of 18 Nurse Practitioners, 9 of 15 Physician Assistants and 3 of 3 others). RIOS Net members had a significantly longer mean employment time (7.0 years; SD, 6.8 years; median, 5.0 years), compared with non-RIOS Net members (4.0 years; SD, 5.0 years; median, 2.3 years; P = .003). Similar results were found when analyzed by length of time in practice with cutoffs of 2 and 5 years.Discussion: Being a member of a practice-based research network may be a determinate of staying in rural practice longer. This is a hypothesis-generating study and needs confirmation from larger studies whose analysis stratifies clinician demographics and practice type.}, issn = {1557-2625}, URL = {https://www.jabfm.org/content/21/4/353}, eprint = {https://www.jabfm.org/content/21/4/353.full.pdf}, journal = {The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine} }