> Resources and Publications > PHC RIS infonet > August 2009

Editorial: What drives change?

The GP & PHC Research Conference in Melbourne reinforced the theme that research is one of many drivers of change in primary health care, along with demography, workforce, expectations and costs. Research can illuminate the need for change, illustrate responses to previous changes, monitor gradual change in populations and explore the characteristics of individuals, communities and provider groups in different contexts which may indicate ways to implement change.

However, research does not drive change by itself, like a driverless train thundering along the tracks. As Rob Moodie (Chair, National Preventative Health Taskforce) stated using the example of climate change, strong evidence alone does not lead to change unless the circumstances are receptive, the time being right, and the right people are in the right place. Conference delegates illustrated the diverse people involved in research, asking questions, applying their skills to find ways to answer those questions rigorously, spreading awareness of the findings, and synthesising findings to add to the body of knowledge in an area.

The final panel discussion showed that people closely involved in recent national reform initiatives have a high regard for the role of research in these reforms. At least two aspects of research are involved here – the content and the people. The content is the body of knowledge about primary health care in Australia resulting from research. To deal with the overwhelming number of individual projects requires systems and processes which Kirsty Douglas (ANU) illustrated in her succinct synthesis of systematic reviews of workforce which other research groups produced for the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APHCRI). The other essential aspect of research driving change is the people. As well as the army of committed researchers, we need the research leaders, the trusted articulate people who can think on their feet, apply their knowledge thoughtfully at the highest level, and become the trusted experts whom policy makers include in their formal and informal discussions.