A framework for conducting policy-relevant primary care research: a COVID-19 case study in Australia
Judith Thomas A * , Chisato Imai
A , Gorkem Sezgin A , Rae-Anne Hardie A , Stephen Weeding B , Christopher Pearce A C , Adam McLeod C , Precious McGuire B , Shirmilla Datta B , Julie Li A , Nasir Wabe A , Guilherme S. Franco A , Zhaoli Dai D , Gihan de Mel E , Emma Gault F , Muhammad Kashif Sheikh G and Andrew Georgiou A
A Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, 75 Talavera Road, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia.
B Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network, 990 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill, Vic. 3128, Australia.
C Outcome Health, Blackburn, Vic. 3130, Australia.
D College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia.
E Next Practice, Prahran and Casey Medical Centre, Clyde, Vic. 3978, Australia.
F Gippsland Public Health Network, Digital Health Pathways, Traralgon, Vic. 3844, Australia.
G Latrobe Regional Hospital, Gippsland Regional Integrated Cancer Service, 10 Village Avenue, Traralgon, Vic. 3844, Australia.
Australian Journal of Primary Health 29(1) 1-7 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY22174
Submitted: 11 August 2022 Accepted: 17 October 2022 Published: 21 November 2022
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of La Trobe University. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
The onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, and the ensuing implementation of response measures directly impacted the delivery of Australian primary care services. Understanding how these measures affected practice activity is important for gauging both their effectiveness and implications for future service planning. During the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a research project was undertaken to determine the impact of the pandemic on Australian general practice activity as a collaborative undertaking between researchers, general practitioners, data custodians, and five primary health networks from New South Wales and Victoria, Australia. The project methodology was based on an established research approach called action research, which involves participatory involvement from key stakeholders throughout the research process. The strength and success of the project’s methodological approach stemmed from the synergistic interrelationship between the four key elements of: collaboration, repeated action research cycles (utilising electronic general practice data), engaged governance, and the production and dissemination of apposite knowledge outcomes. The project approach, knowledge outputs and lessons learned can be adapted to future research undertakings across any primary care setting and highlight the utility of action research and interdisciplinary research collaboration to produce knowledge directly relevant to clinical practice.
Keywords: action research, collaborative research, COVID-19, design thinking, general practice, pandemic, primary care, research methods.
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