Researcher development program of the primary health care research, evaluation and development strategy
Ellen McIntyre A D , Lyn Brun B and Helen Cameron CA Primary Health Care Research and Information Service, Discipline of General Practice, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia.
B WA PHCRED, Combined Universities Centre for Rural Health, University of Western Australia, Geraldton, PO Box 109, Geraldton, WA 6531, Australia.
C Broken Hill Department of Rural Health, University of Sydney, PO Box 457, Broken Hill, NSW 2880, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: ellen.mcintyre@flinders.edu.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 17(1) 114-121 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY10049
Submitted: 19 August 2010 Accepted: 31 January 2011 Published: 16 March 2011
Abstract
The Research Development Program (RDP) was initiated in 2004 under the Primary Health Care Research, Evaluation and Development (PHCRED) Strategy to increase the number and range of people with knowledge and skills in primary health care research and evaluation. RDP Fellows were invited to participate in an online survey about the effect the program had on their research knowledge, attitudes and practice. The response rate was 42% (105/248). Most were female (88%) with 66% aged between 31 and 50 years. Over two-thirds (72%) were health practitioners. Activities undertaken during the RDP ranged from literature reviews, developing a research question, preparing ethics submissions, attending and presenting at conferences and seminars, preparing papers and reports, and submitting grant applications. Despite the fact that only 52% agreed that the RDP time was adequate, 94% agreed that the RDP was a valuable experience, with 89% expressing interest in undertaking further research. These results indicate that this program has had a positive effect on the RDP Fellows in terms of their knowledge about research, their attitude to research, and the way they use research in their work.
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