Facilitators:
Parker Magin et al

Target audience
All primary-care researchers

Aim of workshop
To consider the current state of research quality assessment, its limitations and its implications for primary-care research. To then explore possible alternative means of assessing research quality, to consider means of integrating these in practicable systems of assessment, and to formulate strategies for primary-care to pilot the implementation of these assessment strategies.

Content
The measurement of research quality is an essential process but one that generates considerable debate and controversy. Inherent in the debate is the use of measures of quality as tools for distribution of reward - professional and financial. But assessment processes entail further far-reaching implications for the sustainability of clinical (as opposed to biomedical) research, for translation of research to clinical practice, for non-research directions of academic departments, and for longer-term research program integrity.
Current systems of assessment are overly reliant on metrics, especially bibliometrics, of narrow focus and doubtful validity. There are inherent biases against primary-care research in these metrics.
Current assessments emphasise “tangible” measures - grant income, publication of books, chapters or papers and permutations of these such as citation counts. As well as crude “counts”, these metrics may entail (flawed) quality measures such as the journal “Impact Factor”. In addition to their contested validity, these metrics fail to address the societal impact as opposed to the scientific impact of research or the “direction” of impact (the impact or consequences of research can be negative as well as positive). They also assess and reward only a narrow band of the spectrum of research activities that sustain the research process from generation of a relevant question to the implementation and impact of findings on clinical practice.
This workshop will build upon a workshop at the Society for Academic Primary Care conference, Galway, 2008, in which the limitations of current metrics were delineated, and will run in parallel with a follow-up SAPC 2009 workshop.

Method and extent of audience participation
Participants will receive pre-reading - based on a literature review and the Galway findings. Following an initial orientation, participants will break into groups and will workshop assessment “tools” or “components” of desirable quality assessment programs.
Findings will be presented in a plenary session prior to further group-work considering integration of “tools” into an assessment program. They will also consider their practicable implementation within primary-care quality assessment processes - internally within departments, in grants assessment etc. - before again reporting back.

Facilitators:
Moyez Jiwa et al

Target audience
General practitioners, researchers, staff from Divisions of General Practice.

Aim of workshop
To describe how to develop a local CoP consisting of GPs to improve quality in general practice.

Content
The workshop will focus on three stages:
Establishing and maintaining the CoP
1. Can a CoP be established to address a defined question related to quality of care?
2. Can the membership of such a CoP be sustained over the period of time?
Monitoring the work of the CoP
1. How can quality be monitored by the CoP?
2. How can the performance of the CoP in relation to quality standards be shown to change over the course time?
Sustaining the CoP and managing the reaction of members
1. How can members' interest in and reaction to feedback from the CoP be managed?
2. How can we add value and provide closure for the CoP?

Method and extent of audience participation
The workshop will include an overview of the literature on CoPs. It will then be divided into three parts. Participants will be invited to form small groups depending on the numbers enrolled. Three brainstorming sessions are planned
Part 1:
1. The groups will focus on the pros and cons of issues that might be selected for a quality improvement exercise.
2. How a CoP might be formed within the geographical constraints and working schedules of the general practitioners including the possibility of enlisting part time practitioners and locums to a CoP.
Part 2:
As evidence for change in practice in a CoP, members would be required to set 'benchmarks' in relation to the issue being addressed in the CoP. Using the ideas suggested in Part 1 participants will be asked to consider:
1. How they will establish and monitor standards in the CoP.
2. How they will maintain contact with all members of the CoP.
3. How results will be relayed to members.
Part 3:
It is important to sustain the interest of members, anticipate adverse reactions to underperformance and to add value and closure to a CoP. Participants will be invited to focus on:
1. How members can be engaged at a personal level in achieving the aims of the CoP
2. How their results will be relayed to members of the CoP
3. How a CoP can be resourced and coordinated and
4. How the reaction to underperformance will be managed.

Facilitators:
Gawaine Powell-Davies et al

Target audience
Researchers whose research interests are directly relevant to primary health care reform in Australia
Policy makers who will need research to contribute to setting directions for and implementing primary health care reform

Aim of workshop
To identify the critical research questions raised by current primary health care reform in Australia, and the types of research that will be needed to address.

Content
The workshop will begin with a brief summary of current directions for primary health care reform in Australia. Three researchers involved in policy relevant research will then present a brief view of the research required to inform these developments, from the perspective of general practice, broader primary health care and consumers respectively. After a plenary discussion small groups will be formed to work on the issues considered most important, taking account of the earlier discussion and identifying the core research questions that will need to be answered. A feedback session will be followed by plenary discussion of the research methods, disciplines and capacity that will be needed adequately to address these issues, and ways in which this research can best be linked with policy development and implementation. The workshop will finish with summary reflections from a policy maker and a senior researcher.

Method and extent of audience participation
Particpants will take part in small group and plenary discussions. The level of participation will be high.

Facilitators:
Ross Bailie et al

Target audience
This workshop will be of benefit to delegates interested in health system research and evaluation, quality improvement, organisational development and change, team building and participatory approaches to data collection and analysis.

Aim of workshop
We will review current understanding of health centre systems and their role in improving the quality of care, including internationally accepted frameworks such as the Chronic Care Model and the WHO Innovative care for Chronic Conditions Framework. Using the ABCD Systems Assessment Tool (SAT), participants will develop skills in the participatory analysis of primary care systems and the development
of practical strategies to achieve improvements in key areas of primary health care centre environments.

Content
The importance of the design of health care systems in improving the quality of care and health outcomes is being increasingly recognised. Internationally health services are facing challenges in the development and implementation of systems to support enhanced service delivery for the expanding problem of chronic disease, and in particular achieving sustainable improvements in service delivery and in health
outcomes. The Audit and Best practice for Chronic Disease (ABCD) project was implemented on the expectation that community health centre staff and managers would benefit from an improved understanding of the status of health centre systems in order to appropriately plan for improvement. A central component of the ABCD project was therefore an assessment of health centre systems. Based on internationally recognised frameworks and designed for use with health services for Indigenous Australian populations, the ABCD Systems Assessment Tool (SAT) provides a comprehensive description of the development and implementation of organisational systems for improving the quality of care. We expect this tool will be useful for application in mainstream primary care services.

Method and extent of audience participation
Through experiential learning and hands- on small group work, participants will us e the SAT to explore components of health centre systems and its application in their own operating environments. Examples from our experience will be presented to highlight the underlying concepts and principles. The workshop will highlight the importance of participatory action principles in data collection, interpretation and
feedback.

Delegates will be provided with links to key papers as pre-reading for the workshop.

Facilitator:
Danielle Williams

Target audience
This workshop is suitable for individuals wishing to or currently undertaking a qualitative research project - or for those who want to brush up on skills. Participants with introductory level knowledge and skills will benefit most from this workshop.

Aim of workshop
The use of qualitative methods is increasing in the primary health care context, however despite this there is still confusion regarding the whys and how’s of conducting this method of research. This workshop hopes to demystify parts of the ‘unknown’ of qualitative research, as well as engaging participants in a lively and interactive session which explores the philosophy and application of qualitative research methods.
Qualitative research is used to gain insight into people's attitudes, concerns, behaviours, choices, and lifestyles. Qualitative data is non-numerical in nature, and usually consists of words, text, images or field notes. Given this, the sheer quantity of data is often overwhelming to new researchers. Given the breadth and depth of data, newcomers to qualitative research often find the process of analysis very daunting. This workshop aims to provide participants with the guidleines to generate meaningful and rigorous qualitative research findings.

Content

This workshop will include the following topics:

• Introduction and overview of qualitative methods
• Developing your qualitative research proposal
• Data collection methods
• Data Analysis
• Evaluating Qualitative Research
• The problems, pitfalls… and rewards

Method and extent of audience participation
It is intended that this workshop will utilise an interactive group format, however participants will also be invited to participate in the following ways:

• Small group work to develop qualitative research proposals (hypothetical or based on participant ideas).
• Individual data analysis exercise.
  
  

Facilitator:
Trisha Greenhalgh

Target audience
Change agents

Aim of workshop
To explore the theoretical and practical dimensions of narrative (storytelling) in the context of organisational change

Content
What is narrative? How can narrative be used to effect change? What are its strengths and limitations? How do I apply narrative principles to MY organisational challenges and context?

Method and extent of audience participation
Highly interactive and participatory - this workshop cannot start without people who have stories to tell and changes to make. Introductory storytelling exercise in small groups (30 minutes). Introduction to narrative theory (30 minutes). Main small group exercise: apply narrative principles to a real-life organisational change scenario (1 hour). Feed back / lessons learnt (30 minutes) Half an hour somewhere for breaks.

Facilitator:
Frank Sullivan

Target Audience
Anyone interested in being successful in writing and getting published

Aim of workshop
To develop understanding and skills in writing and getting published

Content
Areas that will be covered include:

• Understand the publications game: introduction, applying a helpful model used by many writers.
• Understand the player: writing personal action plans which ensure that participants will start to write.
• Set the brief: ensuring clarity of thought by carefully thinking through five preliminary questions.
• Organise the information: controlling the mass of information by using brain-storming techniques.
• Write a plan (or four): understanding the requirements for each of the four main sections of the scientific article, and constructing a plan for each.
• Write the article: reducing writer’s block, saving time and maximising creativity.
• The final stages: rewriting, adding the extras, using internal reviewers, send off the package.

Method and extent of audience participation
Participants will be encouraged to ask questions, develop personal action plans and evaluate the workshop.