Conference for the Evaluation and Continued Development of a Training Curriculum in Practice-Based Research Methods

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH

Investigators

Abstract

Principal Investigator/Program Director: Werner, James Abstract This application proposes a conference to comprehensively evaluate the Certificate Program in Practice-Based Research Methods (PBRM-Cert), a 10-month training program for health services research (HSR) faculty designed to increase their competitiveness in obtaining federal research grants for practice-based research network (PBRN) HSR studies. The PBRM-Cert program is sponsored by the eight AHRQ P30 Centers of Primary Care Practice-Based Research and Learning, and is endorsed by the Board of Directors of the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG). The conference will take place during the two days preceding the NAPCRG PBRN Conference in July 2016. A rigorous evaluation of the curriculum will be essential to identify strengths and weaknesses in order to improve the program prior to starting the next cohort trainees in September 2016. The proposed evaluation conference will be attended by trainees, mentors, and Steering Committee members. The program evaluation will involve 5 formative assessment activities and 5 summative assessment activities. The formative assessments will take place through online surveys conducted prior to the conference; these data will be analyzed in advance and presented at the conference. The summative assessments will be conducted through surveys, focus groups and facilitated discussions about what was learned, what was effective, and what could be improved. The evaluation data will inform the development of a revised curriculum that will be developed and presented at the conference for participants? critique and input. Dissemination activities will be planned at the conference and will include preparing a manuscript of conference proceedings to be submitted for publication to a primary care research journal. Plans will be made to also disseminate the conference findings through a presentation at a national primary care research conference. The final curriculum will be freely downloadable through the PBRM-Cert program?s website. PHS 398 (Rev. 05/01