PHCRED Review – how did we shape up?

The Primary Health Care Research, Evaluation and Development (PHCRED) Strategy (Phase 1 and 2), was reviewed in 2008 to determine its effectiveness, efficiency and appropriateness. The Strategy aims were to increase the pool of researchers, produce research relevant to policy and inform policy and practice.

The findings were largely positive in both expanding the pool of skilled primary health care researchers and in increasing the competitiveness of this research sector in accessing research grants. The findings also highlighted the ongoing need to continue building primary health care research capacity.

The four key components of this Strategy shaped up very well in different ways:

• PHC RIS effectively generated and shared targeted information as well as facilitating collaboration among, between and within the primary health care (PHC) sectors (research, policy, practice, consumers).
• The Research Capacity Building Initiative (RCBI) and the Researcher Development Program (RDP) provided research training, supervision and mentoring to build researchers and conduct research. They also engaged with other PHC health sectors.
• The grants, scholarships and fellowships provided some middle to senior career pathways in PHC research and funding to conduct significant PHC research.
• The Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APHCRI) engaged the PHC research and policy sectors at state and national levels, particularly in relation to health systems research and in facilitating the uptake of evidence.

Planning for Phase 3 of the PHCRED Strategy is now underway. It will be shaped and informed by the National PHC Strategy and other health reform processes.

The summary report of the evaluation of the PHCRED Strategy is available via <www.phcris.org.au/phcred/evaluation>