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The Center for Primary Care Community-Based Research (CPCR)
Department of Family Medicine
The Center for Primary Care Community based Research is housed in the Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. The Center for Primary Care Research (CPCR) was created to address and improve disparities in health care in Allegheny County. The Center carries out research that informs a wide range of issues related to primary care practice, including the quality, and outcomes of primary care; patient-provider communication; and access to care, including disparities in care.
The CPCR is a partnership among the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, FM-Pittnet (a Practice-Based Research Network), the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), and numerous other community-based organizations. This combination of institutions allows CPCR to use a multi-pronged approach in the evaluation of health care in the primary care setting, as well as other activities including planning research, recruiting participants, developing educational programs, and implementing future projects in the geographical and medical communities. CPCR continually expands its research interests as they pertain to the Center’s overarching goal. To that end, CPCR will continue to develop its research registry; increase its collaborations within the community; involve community leaders and other key stakeholders; and offer sustainable remedies to health care issues that plague the minority and underserved populations of Allegheny County.
Vision:
Our research vision is to develop and sustain a nurturing and productive environment that fosters independent researchers as well as collaborative teams for addressing clinical and methodological issues in primary care community-based research at local, national and international levels.
Goals:
The CPCR’s research agenda is committed to improving the health of our local, national and international communities through timely and responsive collaborative research among: 1) an organized research infrastructure; 2) community-based medical practices; 3) academic and clinical researchers; 4) the community at large and community organizations. The Center for Primary Care Community-Based Research functions to stimulate collaborative, interdisciplinary primary care and community-based research among basic scientists, clinical researchers and community organizations and as partners strive to address health disparities among targeted populations.
Objectives:
To further develop collaborative primary care community-based research, CPCR will:
•Partner with local, industry and international bodies to establish community-based research opportunities
•Provide supportive network for researchers to further investigations of community-based research
•Promote primary care community-based research among clinical and academic faculty, fellows, residents, and medical students
•Stimulate collaborative research that has the potential to address the needs of the served communities and populations
•Educate and mentor clinical and academic faculty, fellows, residents and medical students in the methodology of community-based research opportunities
•Translate research findings into education, improved clinical care and health policy and broadly disseminate and implement such findings
Activities:
CPCR is at the forefront of innovative research and training for contributing to the “Research Teams of the Future” as outlined in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap. Currently within the CPCR there is active funded research in cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, prostate cancer, and research methodology. University of Pittsburgh faculty from the various Schools of the Health Sciences are involved with the CPCR sharing our commitment to improve the health of our local, national, and international communities through timely and responsive research by collaborations among: an organized research infrastructure; community-based medical practices; academic and clinical researchers; and the community. The Practice-Based Research network (PBRN), FM-Pittnet, serves as an infrastructure vehicle for primary care practice-based research at the CPCR.
Through the success of our research programs, the CPCR is providing excellence in the generation of new knowledge to further research methodology, educate our future researchers, and provide evidence-based primary and clinical care and community engaged practices in addressing health disparities. Within the research infrastructure at the CPCR we have several individuals available to provide administrative, technological, and other support services.
Advisory Committee:
The advisory committee for CPCR represents the Primary Care Departments, the Schools of the Health Sciences, and the community while providing a multidisciplinary team of senior research and clinical faculty. With this diverse committee serving in an advisory capacity, multiple stakeholders and potential users are represented.
Projects and Accomplishments
Primary Care Physician Compliance with Treatment Modalities for Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome in an Underserved Patient Population
The purpose of this investigation is to implement two community-based research projects in a minority underserved patient population to study the degree of compliance with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) best practice guidelines by community-based family practitioners.
Ongoing research activities include:
Innovations in Reducing Stroke and Prostate Cancer in Minority Men
This study utilizes a community-based intervention that shall: (1) remove barriers to patient education with regard to stroke and prostate cancer prevention, (2) foster compliance with prevention and treatment activities, (3) utilize effective strategies to improve participant compliance, and (4) provide a formative and summative evaluation. Additionally, this study uses a variety of educational means presented in the communities to effect behavioral change among participants with the overall aim of improving the health of minority men.
Minority Women's Heart Initiative
The purpose of this study is to: (1) identify and monitor a cohort of women in the community who are at risk for cardiovascular disease, with a special emphasis upon the inclusion of women who identify as African American; (2) educate the community regarding prevention of cardiovascular disease; (3) build clinical research capacity in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease and (4) to attract students and professionals to careers in community-based research.
Development of a Research Registry for Primary Care Community-Based Research
The purpose of this study is to (1) perform retrospective research studies on diseases that disproportionately affect minority and underserved populations; (2) permit review of medical record information contained within the registry to identify eligibility of patients for future research studies; (3) obtain permission of research registry participants to be contacted in order to ascertain their interest in participating in future research studies.
Use of Tablet PCs as a Patient Activation Tool to Increase Physician-Patient Communication, Satisfaction, Clinical Outcomes and to Decrease Disparities in Primary Care
The purpose of this project is to develop, implement, and evaluate a patient activation tool to reduce health disparities. Specific objectives include:
1)Assess patient preferences prior to an outpatient visit;
2)Increase patient understanding of their medical conditions and risk;
3)Increase the patients’ role in their communication with their physician and their own self-management;
4)Increase patient and physician satisfaction with the visit; and
5)Reduce the disparities that exist in this underserved population
Current CPCR Personnel
Dr. Jeanette South-Paul
Dr. South-Paul serves as the Medical Director for the Division of Community Health Services, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, as Professor and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine, and as the Network Director for a Practice-Based Research Network (FM-Pittnet).
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