Principles of Community Engagement (Second Edition)

9. THE DENTAL PRACTICE-BASED RESEARCH NETWORK
Background: Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) are consortia of
practices committed to improving clinical practice Operating internation-
ally since 2005, the Dental Practice-Based Research Network (DPBRN) is
a collaborative effort of Kaiser Permanente Northwest/Permanente Dental
Associates in Portland, Oregon; Health Partners of Minneapolis, Minnesota;
University of Alabama at Birmingham; University of Copenhagen; Alabama
Dental Practice Research Network; and clinicians and patients in Oregon,
Washington, Minnesota, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Norway,
Sweden, and Denmark
Methods: DPBRN began by obtaining patient input during feasibility/pilot
testing of certain studies, then progressed to a study that formally included
patient perceptions, and later made plans for a community advisory board
Additionally, patient representatives serve on an advisory committee managed
by the main funder of DPBRN activities, the National Institute of Dental and
Craniofacial Research
Results: As different parties became familiar with each other’s priorities, they
were able to establish common ground and carry out successful collaborations
DPBRN has provided a context in which researchers and community
clinicians collaborate as equals, and in keeping with the basic principles of
CBPR, it engages patients as well DPBRN practitioner-investigators and their
patients have contributed to research at each stage of its development, leading
to improvements in study designs and customization of protocols to fit daily
clinical practice At the time of publication, 19 studies had been completed or
were ongoing The studies include a broad range of topic areas, enrollments,
and study designs
Comments: DPBRN practitioners and patients from diverse settings are partnering
with academic clinical scientists to improve daily clinical practice and
meet the needs of clinicians and their patients PBRNs can improve clinical
practice by engaging in studies that are of direct interest to clinicians and
their patients and by incorporating findings from these studies into practice
Patients’ acceptance of these studies has been very high
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