The Research Institute is committed to the creation of the first national clinical pharmacy practice-based research network (ACCP PBRN). Clinical pharmacists play an important role in our health care system by improving medication therapy management and decreasing adverse drug reactions for patients. Yet we have not systematically studied the services clinical pharmacists offer on a large scale. Through the ACCP PBRN, pharmacists and their practice sites will have the opportunity to join forces and participate in practice-based studies on a national scale.

Network Director Grace Kuo, Pharm.D., MPH, from the University of California, San Diego, has been appointed ACCP PBRN Network Director. Before joining UCSD, Grace was Program Director for a physician-based, practice-based research network, the Southern Primary-care Urban Research Network, from 2001 to 2007. Dr. Kuo served as principal investigator, coinvestigator, and consultant on projects funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Kuo has been a member of ACCP since 1997 and is an active member of the Ambulatory Care PRN. She has been a speaker on PBRN and clinical research topics at several ACCP national and spring forum meetings.

Become a Member of the ACCP PBRN

The ACCP PBRN Registry, launched March 1, 2009, invites ACCP members to fill out the online registry tool. The registry is intended for pharmacists or practice sites involved in direct patient care, providing clinical pharmacy services such as independent patient management, collaborative care with a physician(s), curbside consultation with a physician or patient, and caregiver educator. Although registration does not guarantee that a site will be among those selected as a research site, we are looking to build the pool of candidates and sites interested in working on PBRN issues. The Listserve is open to all ACCP members.

ACCP PBRN Research Projects

The ACCP PBRN projects will vary from practice surveys and quasi-experimental designs to randomized, controlled interventional trials that facilitate collaborative research; such endeavors will address the safe, efficacious, and cost-effective use and delivery of medications and enhance the outcomes of clinical pharmacy services. Our first network project is a descriptive analysis of the ACCP PBRN registry. The registry will give us information about network members, where they practice, and whom they serve. Furthermore, it will give us a focus for potential research areas of interest. If you want to learn more about the ACCP PBRN, please visit http://www.accpri.org/pbrn/.

Join the ACCP PBRN Listserve

If you are not actively involved in direct patient care, the registry may not be right for you. However, we invite you to register with the Listserve, which will deliver information to you regarding the development of the ACCP PBRN by your e-mail.