Formation of a primary care pharmacist practice-based research network.

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Research
• Health Services Research
• Pharmacist-led Interventions

Background:

• Emerging practice-based research networks (PBRNs) are crucial for advancing primary care research.
• Characterizing the foundational elements of a new PBRN is essential for its successful development and operation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize participating practice sites, patient populations, and collaborative physician-pharmacist services within an emerging primary care PBRN.
• To establish a baseline understanding of the network's structure and the scope of services provided by its pharmacist members.

Main Methods:

• A targeted sample of faculty pharmacist investigators in primary care settings were selected.
• A baseline survey was distributed in June 2006 to characterize the PBRN.
• Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the collected data.

Main Results:

• Recruited 81 pharmacists from 48 practice sites across 11 states.
• Most sites were in family medicine residency programs, affiliated with hospitals/health systems, and had 300-599 weekly ambulatory visits.
• Pharmacists engaged in direct patient management, had collaborative agreements with physicians, and participated in educational activities.

Conclusions:

• Successfully recruited a diverse PBRN of pharmacists in primary care settings.
• Collected descriptive data on practice sites, patient characteristics, and clinical services.
• This serves as a foundational step for future collaborative research initiatives within the PBRN.