PHCRED :: Northern Rivers Department of Rural Health

Northern Rivers Department of Rural Health - Australia

PHCRED

Primary Health Care Research & Evaluation Development

The NRUDRH receives funding from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing under the Primary Health Care Research and Evaluation Development (PHCRED) Program to help local primary health care clinicians increase their skills and experience in research.

The PHCRED program aims to develop the research skills of primary health care (PHC) clinicians and promote a culture of research in primary health care.

The NRUDRH provides programs for two target groups and networks:

1. Aboriginal Health Research Network: Aboriginal Medical Services and their staff and North Coast Area Health Service (NCAHS) staff working in Aboriginal-specific services.

2. Mainstream Primary Health Care Research Network: PHC clinicians working in mainstream services in rural, northern NSW, in either the public or private sector.

Approach to Support:

We offer our capacity building program through a range of strategies:

1. Research clinicians are employed for one year with the NRUDRH on a part-time basis, to undertake their own research project. They receive intensive mentoring and supervision, as well as support to attend research methods workshops and conferences. Projects must fall within the areas of expertise of the UDRH, (chronic disease prevention and management, mental health, Aboriginal health, environmental health and health services research).

2. Priority Trainees are not employed by the NRUDRH, but are people undertaking research and evaluation as part of their usual work. They are offered the opportunity to be part of an intensive mentoring and support program on a competitive basis. Research trainees are supported to attend our workshops and seminar series, and are provided with additional mentoring in developing their research projects. They may also be supported to attend conferences to present their work, resources permitting.

3. Research Methods Workshops provide an introduction to research methods and using research evidence. Three different types of workshops are offered:

o        "Walking Through Research” for Aboriginal Health Workers

o        "Research Fundamentals” for mainstream PHC clinicians

o        “Evidence Based Practice Workshops”

4. Mentoring and support is available within the capacity of the academic staff of the NRUDRH. Priority is given to the Research clinicians and Research trainees, people participating in research methods courses, junior researchers working on projects of senior staff, and PhD students within the department. Advice and support is provided to other people as resources permit.

5. Participation in research projects of senior researchers. Where opportunities arise, PHC clinicians and early career researchers, are encouraged to participate in research projects led by senior researchers. This provides junior researchers with the experience of working on a larger research project with more experienced researchers, enhancing opportunities for mentoring and skills development. Current projects in which junior researchers are working on projects led by senior researchers are:

o        MAHPET - Mapping Aboriginal Health Partnerships for Evidence Policy Transfer

o        HIPS - Health Improvement and Prevention Study

o        Smoking in pregnancy by Aboriginal women.

6. Monthly Seminar Series - Scheduled Seminars The PHCRED program coordinates the NRUDRH monthly seminar series. The seminars provide opportunities for dissemination of interesting research findings, by both local researchers and invited national researchers, giving local clinicians and others the opportunity to learn from these presentations. The seminars are run from Lismore, with video-conferencing available to Murwillumbah, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Moree and Broken Hill.

7. Conference support - Financial support is provided to attend research conferences for people presenting results of their research projects. Research clinicians, research trainees, and junior researchers working on projects within the NRUDRH will be given priority. In 2008, people will be supported to attend the national GP&PHC conference in Hobart. We will also sponsor Aboriginal Health Workers or Aboriginal PHC researchers to attend the NSW Coalition for Research to Improve Aboriginal Health (CRIAH) Aboriginal Health Research Conference in Sydney. We also offer assistance to write abstracts and papers for presentation at the conferences.

8. State level activities - The NRUDRH is a member of a state-wide PHCRED consortium of seven departments funded under the PHCRED strategy. NSW PHCRED runs a number of programs and the NRUDRH makes a significant contribution to these capacity building activities. These include the annual PHCRED Short Course on Research Methods; a similar short course run for the NSW Institute for Rural Clinical Services and Teaching; and a biennial state conference.

Research Seminar Series

Semester 1 2010

Other PHCRED sites

In 2000, the Australian Commonwealth government introduced the Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development (PHCRED) program. This provided funding for University Departments of General Practice and Rural Health throughout

Australia to develop the capacity of the primary health care sector to conduct research and implement research findings in clinical practice. The sites below all have useful research resources and links.
http://www.phcris.org.au/
http://www.meddent.uwa.edu.au/gp/phcred/

http://www.med.monash.edu.au/general-practice/research/phcred.html/

http://www.med.monash.edu.au/general-practice/research/phcred.html/

http://www.generalpractice.adelaideuni.org/menu/phcred.shtml

http://www.healthsci.utas.edu.au/medicine/phcred/index.html

http://www.vicphcred.unimelb.edu.au/

http://www.micrrh.jcu.edu.au/phc_red/phc_red_overview.htm

http://www.nswphc.unsw.edu.au/index.htm

http://crh.flinders.edu.au/research/currentProjects.htm

http://www.sph.uq.edu.au/CGP/red/index.html