This has been a busy year for the ACCP Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN). Since the last ACCP Annual Meeting, the PBRN has published the results of our first study, developed and initiated several new studies, participated as a significant partner in an NIH R01 grant application, and obtained our first externally funded research grant.

The primary results of the “Medication Error Detection, Amelioration, and Prevention (MEDAP) Study” were published in the March 2013 issue of Pharmacotherapy. A second manuscript based on the results of the MEDAP Study that details the costs associated with managing medication errors has been accepted for publication in Pharmacotherapy.

The PBRN has undertaken its first externally funded study, led by Sarah Billups (Kaiser Permanente Colorado). This study evaluates a structured research training program for pharmacy residents with an aim to enhance participants’ competence, confidence, and interest in practice-based research, with an ultimate goal of improving the publication rates of pharmacy residency projects. The study is under way, with assessments and analysis scheduled for completion in 2014.

We have also completed contracting on another exciting externally funded study assessing clinician beliefs and attitudes toward antipsychotic prescribing. We will be recruiting for this study in late 2013 or early 2014.

We have been working with investigators from five academic institutions responding to an NIH-sponsored RFP led by Karen Farris (University of Michigan) and William Doucette (University of Iowa). If funded, this study will assess the impact of using a structured approach to identify poor medication adherence and pharmacist care on patient outcomes.

We continue to hear from others interested in collaborating on research projects. If you have an idea for a study, please consider contacting the PBRN. The Research Institute will be highlighting these and other PBRN research activities at an Open House session on Tuesday, October 15, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the Brazos Room of the Albuquerque Convention Center.