In response to member feedback and input, as well as to the work of the 2008 Research Affairs Committee, the ACCP Board of Regents and the Research Institute Board of Trustees have enthusiastically and unanimously approved the creation of a nationwide ACCP PBRN.

A PBRN is a group of clinicians or practice sites that collaborate to answer questions related to their mission and purpose. As a funding agency for primary care PBRNs, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has set forth guidelines for PBRNs seeking grant support through its agency. AHRQ recognizes a primary care PBRN organizational structure only if it includes a core of at least 15 practices and/or 15 clinicians devoted to the primary care of patients. (Many PBRNs have started with fewer practices and/or clinicians, but they were not eligible for recognition by AHRQ as primary care PBRNs.) Among the other requirements for forming an AHRQ-recognized PBRN:

• Purpose and Mission Statement. Each network has an accepted statement of its purpose and a mission that includes an ongoing commitment to the research endeavor.
• Staff. At a minimum, each network should have a network director and at least one dedicated staff member. The director is typically responsible for most administrative, financial, and planning functions for the network.
• Mechanism for Community Feedback. A mechanism should be in place for obtaining advice and feedback from the patient communities served by the network.
• Communication Structure. Each PBRN should have an organizational structure that transcends a single study, including multiple systems of communication with and among participating practices in the form of regularly produced newsletters, e-mails or listserves, conference calls, and/or face-to-face meetings of various combinations of network members.

Steps have been taken to address several of the above items, including the creation of mission, vision, and purpose statements. These statements were drafted by the 2008 ACCP Research Affairs Committee and adopted by both the Research Institute Board of Trustees and ACCP Board of Regents.

• Mission Statement. The mission of the ACCP PBRN is to facilitate collaborative research that promotes the safe, efficacious, and cost-effective use and delivery of medications and clinical pharmacy services.
• Vision. The ACCP PBRN will be recognized as one of the premier practice-based research networks (PBRNs) in the nation within our defined research focus. Furthermore, the ACCP PBRN research focus will align with the College’s strategic plan. The ACCP PBRN will be recognized as the premier facilitator of clinical pharmacy PBRN research. This will include promoting collaborative efforts between other pharmacy organizations and other national and local PBRNs.
• Purpose. “In conjunction with stakeholders, the ACCP PBRN will work to advance the long-range strategic imperatives and mission of ACCP and the Research Institutes. This will, in turn, enhance the visibility and recognition of clinical pharmacists as vital practitioners and researchers.

Next Steps

The goals for the remainder of 2008 are to hire a part-time PBRN director, create a network listserve, and begin registering individual practitioners and affiliate PBRNs. The target year for completing the creation of a national clinical pharmacy PBRN is 2009. Details regarding the recruitment of the network director will be announced this month (see the professional placement section elsewhere in this newsletter). As more information on the PBRN becomes available, it will be shared via the ACCP and Research Institute Web sites and in future issues of the ACCP Report. As an ACCP member involved in providing clinical pharmacy services, you are invited to join the ACCP PBRN listserve, which will be open to all ACCP members. The listserve will feature updates from the ACCP Research Institute as we prepare to launch the new PBRN.

ACCP members are also invited to fill out the online registry tool. Although registration does not guarantee that your site will be selected as a research site, the Research Institute is seeking to build a pool of clinicians and sites interested in working on PBRN issues. The registry and listserve are expected to launch next month. Additional information and FAQs can be found at http://www.accpri.org/pbrn/faqs.aspx. The Research Institute looks forward to this exciting new direction and the new opportunities that it will offer ACCP members.