College Research

 

RNZCGP Research Strategy Implementation Framework and Plan

The vision is to create a coherent set of structures and activities producing general practice research that is demonstrably useful to and used by New Zealand GPs and general practice teams, including patients. Recommendations were contained in the Pringle Report of 2002 that need to be implemented in the spirit and intent of his work

The strategy and implementation plans were approved by the College Council at their meeting on 10 July 2007 in Rotorua.

The Aim is to implement the first five-year plan for general practice research.

Background

Developing a research strategy is a project required under the RNZCGP’s current Strategic Plan. In the Plan, research is a part of all three goals for the College and is a component of the following strategic areas: GP recruitment (Goal 1), GP professional development (Goal 1), critical inquiry (Goal 2), the role of general practice within the NZ health system (Goal 2), and knowledge management (Goal 3).
Arguments for the importance of general practice research in New Zealand and internationally have been well rehearsed. Essentially, these arguments are:

• General practice is a unique discipline with its own scientific basis. Its role and function complement public health (based on population models) and disease- or anatomical system-based specialty medicine but resemble neither
• The philosophy of evidence-based medicine requires relevant scientific evidence. For patients receiving general practice care, this means general practice evidence (i.e. research)
• The Primary Health Care Strategy recognises the need for primary care research
• General practice is the main provider of health care in New Zealand: in 2002/03 over 80% of adult New Zealanders saw a GP, visiting on average 4.0 times and bringing on average 1.6 problems to each visit. If children’s experience is similar to adults’, in 2006 approximately 3.4 million people received care in general practice in 13.6 million visits, for about 21.7 health problems. Annually, there may be over 10 million occasions when New Zealand GPs experience a practical need for research to care for presenting patients
• Historically, New Zealand’s achievements in general practice research have been outstanding but this is unlikely to be our current position. In recent years overall health research productivity in New Zealand has slipped behind Australia and the UK, where targeted investments in primary care research have been made.

After extensive consultation, the Pringle Report commissioned by the RNZCGP in 2002 proposed strategies to advance general practice research in New Zealand. Those strategies now need to be implemented. The recommendations of the Report suggest the framework and implementation plan for the New Zealand General Practice Research Strategy presented on the next two pages.

Implementation will be achieved by completing a set of defined tasks, specifically:

1. Establish a coordinated framework for general practice research in NZ
   1. Establish the NZ General Practice Research Advisory Group
   2. Establish a research directorate in the RNZCGP
2. Establish training and career opportunities for general practice researchers
   1. Establish the General Practice Academic Registrar programme
   2. Advocate for Health Research Council funded training positions in general practice research
3. Establish additional research “networks”
   1. “Network 2”: a nationally representative set of general practices combining electronic data for research about their practices, services, and patients.
   2. “Network 3”: a “bottom-up” network of general practice doctors, nurses and other primary care providers who identify knowledge gaps that they can scientifically address with the power of their combined numbers.
4. Establish more robust mechanisms for disseminating general practice research:
   1. “Medline” the NZ Family Physician
   2. Strengthen the scientific component of the RNZCGP Annual Conference
5. Within existing structures:
   1. Promote and maintain general practitioners’ ability to translate research
   2. Formally recognise research participation
   3. Raise the profile of general practice research nationally and internationally