Early AHRQ Support for Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRNs)


Primary care practice-based research networks (PBRNs) are groups of primary care clinicians and practices working together to answer community-based health care questions and translate research findings into practice. Prior to 2000, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (known at the time as the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research) awarded more than $10 million through several grant mechanisms to various primary care practice-based research networks (PBRNs), for studies across a diverse range of medical conditions.


Examples of Early AHRQ-supported PBRN Projects

Topic PBRN Award mechanism
Child abuse reporting Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS), Elk Grove Village, IL. R01
Telephone care for Medicare patients Dartmouth/Northern New England Primary Care Cooperative Research Network (COOP), Hanover, NH. R01
International study of acute otitis media Ambulatory Sentinel Practice Network (ASPN), Denver, CO. R01
Categorizing ambulatory medical errors Ambulatory Care Outcomes Research Network (ACORN), Richmond, VA. U18
Developing a voluntary medical error reporting system Colorado Research Network (CaReNet), Denver, CO. U18
Use of an EMR to define indicators of medical errors ResNet, Indianapolis, IN. U18
Prevention of coronary artery disease and stroke in primary care settings Practice Partner Research Network (PPRNet), Charleston, SC. U18
Referral process in pediatric care Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS), Elk Grove Village, IL. R03
Low back pain in primary care Ambulatory Sentinel Practice Network (ASPN), Denver, CO. R03

R01 = Research project; to support a discrete, specified, and circumscribed project performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his/her specific interests and competencies.
U18 = Research Demonstration/Cooperative Agreements (RFA Only); to provide support for testing, by means of a research design, the effectiveness of the transfer and application of techniques or interventions derived from a research base for the control of diseases or disorders or for the promotion of health. These are usually cooperative programs between participating principal investigators, institutions, and the sponsoring institution(s).
R03 = Small Research Project Grants; to provide research support, specifically limited in time and amount, for studies in categorical program areas. Small grants provide flexibility for initiating studies which are generally for preliminary short-term projects and are non-renewable.

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Current as of May 2006


Internet Citation:

Early AHRQ Support for Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRNs). May 2006. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/pbrn/earlypbrn.htm


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