Building WREN’s Capacity through Strengthening Relationships with Full Support Practices

1. Building WREN’s Capacity through Strengthening Relationships with Full Support Practices Katherine B. Pronschinske, MT(ASCP)

2. Overview • PBRN and WREN Background • What is a Full Support Practice (FSP)? • Importance of FSPs to WREN • How WREN works with FSPs • Successes and challenges

3. What is a PBRN? • Practice Based Research Network • AHRQ Definition: Group of ambulatory practices devoted principally to the primary care of patients, and affiliated in their mission to investigate questions related to community-based practice and to improve the quality of primary care.

4. PBRN Research • Basic Research • Efficacy • Effectiveness • Dissemination PBRN Research Focus

5. WREN Mission …to improve health outcomes for the people of Wisconsin through education, and through promoting and conducting primary care research in partnership with primary care clinicians and the communities they serve.

6. WREN Clinicians • About 60 individual clinicians • About 40 clinicians in WREN practices • 21 different health care organizations • 13 different UW Health clinics • 5 Full Support Practices (FSPs)

7. What is a WREN FSP? • WREN engages entire practices in its research and QI projects • Full Support Practices (FSPs) • Clinician Champion • Practice Liaison supported by Regional Research Coordinator • Signed practice agreement • $10,000 per year; ~ 20% FTE • $300 stipend for two staff members to attend WREN meetings

8. Regional Research Coordinators • Develop ongoing working relationship • Assess clinic capacity to do research/QI • Practice Characterization • Clinician surveys • Technical assistance for practice staff • Assure adherence to protocol • Training for practice staff • Good clinical research practices

9. FSP Locations Wausau Eau Claire Green Bay Tomah WREN full support clinic WREN individual clinician site Mauston Milwaukee Madison Dubuque

10. How WREN works with FSPs • Establish interest of practice • WREN Director • Clinician Champion • Initial WREN/FSP Administrative meeting • From WREN: Director, Network Coordinator, RRC • From clinic: Clinician Champion, Practice Liaison and other key stakeholders • Logistics meeting • WREN RRC • Practice Liaison

11. How WREN works with FSPs • Administrative follow-up meeting • From clinic: Clinician Champion, Practice Liaison and other key stakeholders • From WREN: Director, Network Coordinator, RRC • Other meetings as appropriate by practice

12. Importance of FSPs • Clinicians and practice staff are essential partners • Questions based on clinical realities, funding priorities, and academic expertise • WREN delivers research results directly to practices • Enhancement of dissemination • Translation into practice

13. Importance of FSPs • Collaborations • Initiate “grassroots” research and QI projects in primary care • Identify relevant clinic interests/questions • Direct link to community organizations • Funding • WREN’s research capacity is, in part, defined by the patient population it can reach • FSP engagement allows WREN to reach a more diverse, widespread patient population than ever before • FSPs provide important information for grant applications

14. Challenges • Logistics of multi-site projects • Distance • Multiple Institutional Review Boards

15. Keys to Success • Establishing productive relationships takes time, effort and commitment by practice staff and WREN staff • Support of Clinician Champion • Support of clinic administration

16. Keys to Success • Selecting a motivated, committed Practice Liaison • GREAT communication!

17. Acknowledgement • Funding support provided by the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR)

18. Thank you! • Comments? • Questions? • For additional information: • Katie Pronschinske katherine.pronschinske@fammed.wisc.edu • Visit www.wren.wisc.edu.