Editorial: On being systematic and transparent and responsive

PHC RIS continues to take on board the many suggestions and ideas discussed during the recent visit from John Lavis from McMaster University. The most consistent and persistent message that came out of this visit was the need to be systematic (methodological in procedure or plan and repeatable) and transparent (readily understood) in what we do. Integrate this with the PHC RIS mission of generating, managing and sharing information and knowledge and you have an organisation that has set itself a very high standard. However, for us to be responsive, we need engagement from the primary health care (PHC) community. Knowing what people need enables us to respond in an effective manner.

One of the most significant ways this was done recently was through our 2010 PHC Research Conference. The amazing number of people (we expected 300 and registered 385) who attended the Conference in Darwin reflects the engagement of the community who came to present, discuss, debate and network. More information about this event can be found on the Conference page.

Our Roadmap Of Australian primary health care Research (ROAR) is another example of how well the PHC community engages with PHC RIS through providing the many pieces of data that have enabled us to capture the profiles and research projects of researchers around the country.
All conference abstracts, presenters, presentations (with permission) and posters (where available) have been added. We encourage you to use this great tool in your collaborations and planning for future projects <www.phcris.org.au/roar>