title: Practice facilitators and practice-based research networks.
abstract: Practice facilitators (PFs) are health care professionals, who assist primary care practices in research and quality improvement activities. Their work goes beyond data collection and feedback and includes practice enhancement methods to facilitate system-level changes. PFs provide a framework for translating research into practice by building relationships, improving communication, facilitating change, and sharing resources in practice-based research networks (PBRNs). The work of PFs is funded from a variety of sources, including academic grants and renewable contracts with national, state, and local health care agencies. Limited information is available on cost-effectiveness of PF interventions. This article provides examples of how the PF model was implemented in 4 PBRNs in the United States.
authors.affiliation: University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA. zsolt-nagykaldi@ouhsc.edu
authors.forename: Zsolt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Nagykaldi
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Mold
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Niebauer
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ford
mesh_terms: D006282:Health Personnel; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D014481:United States