Building research capacity in south-west Sydney through a Primary and Community Health Research Unit
Emma L. Friesen A B , Elizabeth J. Comino A B C H , Jennifer Reath D , Alison Derrett E , Maree Johnson F , Gawaine Powell Davies C , Siaw Teng-Liaw G and Lynn Kemp B CA Primary and Community Health Research Unit, Part of Centre from Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales and South Western Sydney Local Health District, PCHRU-CHETRE Liverpool, Locked bag 7103, Liverpool BC, NSW 1871, Australia.
B Centre for Health Equity Training Research and Evaluation, Part of Centre from Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales and South West Sydney Local Health District, CHETRE Liverpool, Locked Bag 7103, Liverpool BC, NSW 1871, Australia.
C Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
D School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia.
E South Western Sydney Local Health District, 5 Thomas Rose Drive, Rosemeadow, NSW 2560, Australia.
F Centre for Applied Nursing Research, Joint venture between South Western Sydney Local Health District and University of Western Sydney, CANR, Locked Bag 7103, Liverpool BC, NSW 1871, Australia.
G General Practice Unit, Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, GP Unit, PO Box 5, Fairfield, NSW 1860, Australia.
H Corresponding author. Email: e.comino@unsw.edu.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 20(1) 4-8 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY12081
Submitted: 13 June 2012 Accepted: 7 September 2012 Published: 11 October 2012
Abstract
The Primary and Community Health Research Unit was established in 2010 in south-west Sydney to build research capacity in primary and community health services and help generate evidence to underpin clinical activities. In 2011, six project teams participated in a 12-month researcher mentoring program, undertaking projects in quality improvement and service evaluation. Project teams were linked with academic mentors and participated in four research skill development workshops covering research design, research ethics, statistical analysis and academic writing. All project teams presented their work at two or more research conferences, and all are preparing manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals. The Primary and Community Health Research Unit’s approach to research capacity building in primary and community health services appears to be effective in supporting novice researchers to undertake research in their clinical settings. Sustainability is dependent on securing ongoing funding. Further analysis is needed to identify strengths and weaknesses of this approach.
Additional keywords: research capacity building, research skills training.
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