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Conducting research in general practice: lessons learnt from experience
Author(s) -
James Erica L.,
Talbot Lyn
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
health promotion journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 2201-1617
pISSN - 1036-1073
DOI - 10.1071/he05041
Subject(s) - checklist , medicine , health care , public relations , health economics , promotion (chess) , nursing , health promotion , medical education , psychology , public health , political science , politics , law , cognitive psychology
Issue addressed The increased focus on evidence‐based practice and the World Health Organization (WHO) settings approach to health promotion have contributed to an increase in the importance of health promotion activity and therefore research being undertaken in the general practice setting. Primary care‐based trials represent major investments in time and resources for researchers, health professionals and patients, and there are several methodological and logistical issues that need to be considered. The costs of failed trials are potentially significant and include wasted resources, opportunity costs of participants' time and discouragement of primary care professionals from co‐operating with further research. Discussion This paper presents an overview of the important logistical and methodological considerations when conducting research in this setting. This paper is written for researchers new to the general practice setting. We discuss logistical challenges such as literature searching, ethical considerations, recruitment and retention of GPs, practices and patients, working with practices, and financial considerations. Methodological considerations including issues relating to patient recruitment, clustering, Hawthorne effect, ensuring conformity of intervention, avoiding contamination, and confounders are also discussed. A checklist for researchers contemplating research in this setting is supplied. So what? Given the importance of this setting for health promotion and disease prevention activity, it is crucial that general practices be retained as settings for research. It is vital that researchers avoid the common pitfalls in conducting research in this setting and ensure that the experience for all participants is positive.