Research networks in primary care: An answer to the call for better clinical research

Professional research cannot be based on sheer goodwill from GPs who work in a fee-for-service health-care system. This has to be addressed in efforts to strengthen clinical research in our fi eld. The current situation represents a waste of time for clinical researchers and a waste of resources for society. It provides no predictability for the clinicians and the practices, and it reduces our patients ' opportunity to participate in research and development that is in their own interests. Simply put, steps have to be taken to change the situation. In 2010, Norwegian researchers in general practice and oral health found that we have common challenges in this regard. We have since worked together to establish research networks for general practice and oral health in Norway. Research networks in primary health and oral health care are infrastructures of clinical practices linked together by a research institution with employees who actively recruit clinicians to the network and help them stay " research ready ". Furthermore, when initiating research studies, the network supports recruitment of patients and obtainment of data in order to reduce the burden on the clinician as much as possible. Research networks already exist in Great Britain, the Netherlands, and a number of other countries [4 – 6]. And they not only exist – some are really successful in terms of quality and relevant fi ndings [7,8]. In addition to supporting acquirement of high-quality data with less effort for each research project, they also support international collaboration [8]. In 2012, the Norwegian Directorate of Health requested a report on the topic and gave fi nancial support to elaborate on the prerequisites to establish networks in Norway. Study trips to Great Britain and the Netherlands, as well as small-scale studies, were carried out. In May 2014, an international meeting on research networks was arranged in Bergen, Norway, with participants from Scotland, Canada, the Netherlands, and Denmark. Professor Frank Sullivan (Canada/Scotland) put it this way: " A research network may be viewed as the laboratory of primary care research. Who would ever dream of asking basic researchers to set up and tear down their The shortage of clinical research is a problem that has been addressed by clinicians, researchers, health authorities, and politicians alike [1,2]. Although hospital-based research is subject to this problem, it is even more pronounced in primary care. This is especially worrisome considering that the most common health …