Linking Ruth to Her Past
By Renate G. Justin, M.D.
A family physician shares the story of her 30-year relationship with a patient and the strong ties they formed. Although she was trained to keep emotionally distant from patients in order to maintain the best therapeutic milieu, this relationship taught her that in some instances, closeness, rather than distance, is more therapeutic because it recognizes the humanity physicians and patients share.
PRACTICE-BASED RESEARCH NETWORK STUDIES:
Practice-based research networks (PBRNs), networks of community-based practices taking part in primary care research, are emerging as essential laboratories for the generation of new knowledge relevant to the types of problems and patients seen in primary care. This expanded issue of Annals of Family Medicine features nine studies from PBRNs. From an original research study examining the potential of PBRNs for rapid assessment of bioterrorism, to a methodology study addressing the unique challenges inherent in international primary care research, these papers help develop the methods for PBRN research and showcase the involvement of research networks in studies of importance for practice and policy.
Opportunities, Challenges, and Lessons of International Research in Practice-Based Research Networks: The Case of an International Study of Acute Otitis Media
By Larry A. Green, M.D., et al
Using the case of an international study of acute otitis media, the authors illustrate the unique challenges and opportunities inherent in international research. They remind investigators that although intern
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Contact: Angela Lower
alower@aafp.org
913-906-6253
American Academy of Family Physicians
5-Oct-2004