Primary care research has recently garnered greater attention at the national level.

• Abstract
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Biology Articles » Medicine » Internal Medicine » Overcoming obstacles to implementing a primary care research framework » Background

Background

- Overcoming obstacles to implementing a primary care research framework

Primary care is a major entry point to the health care system, therefore the decisions primary care clinicians make determine if health care resources are used appropriately [1]. Family medicine clinicians, in particular, have some of the highest numbers of patient visits per year in the country [2]. Historically, family medicine has not been considered a significant contributor to research. Today, family medicine and other primary care specialties have garnered the attention of academic and federally-funded researchers by developing practice-based research networks (PBRNs). The Future of Family Medicine report stresses that the profession must make its own niche, including conducting research that impacts family medicine and the communities the clinicians serve [3]. In this paper, we share the successes and challenges of developing a research framework in the department of family medicine at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (UNTHSC), Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM).