The ACCP PBRN is a group of clinical pharmacy members from across the United States. They deliver clinical pharmacy services at a variety of academic, inpatient, outpatient, and other practice settings. Together, they form a nationwide network of pharmacists interested in answering research questions that are aligned with the mission, values, and purpose statements below.

Mission Statement

“The mission of the ACCP PBRN is to facilitate collaborative research that promotes the safe, efficacious, and cost-effective use and delivery of medications and clinical pharmacy services.”

Vision

The ACCP PBRN will be recognized as one of the premier practice-based research networks in the nation within our defined research focus. Furthermore, the ACCP PBRN research focus will align with the strategic plan from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. The ACCP PBRN will be recognized as the premier facilitator of Clinical Pharmacy PBRN research. This will include promoting collaborative efforts between other pharmacy organizations and other national and local PBRNs.

Purpose

“Working in conjunction with stakeholders, the purpose of the ACCP PBRN is to advance the long-range strategic imperatives and mission of the ACCP College and Research Institutes.” This will enhance the visibility and recognition of clinical pharmacists as vital practitioners and researchers.

As an ACCP member involved in providing clinical pharmacy services or conducting clinical research, you are invited to fill out the online registry tool. Although registration does not guarantee your site will be selected as a research site, we are looking to build the pool of candidates and sites interested in working on PBRN issues. To join the ACCP PBRN, please visit our Web site and complete the online registry form.

Participation in the ACCP PBRN is free of charge, and the level of involvement is for each clinical pharmacist to decide. ACCP associate and full members are invited to join. In addition, existing PBRNs are welcome to register.

We anticipate our projects will vary from practice surveys and quasi-experimental designs to randomized, controlled interventional trials that will facilitate collaborative research promoting the safe, efficacious, and cost-effective use and delivery of medications and clinical pharmacy services. The Board of Trustees of the Research Institute has created a list of criteria for research projects. Study ideas will be welcomed from our ACCP PBRN members. All research questions submitted will be vetted.

Although each study is different in this regard, we are committed to making ACCP PBRN studies worth the effort for interested ACCP PBRN clinical pharmacists who participate. The expectation with ACCP PBRN research is that it will interfere as little as possible with patient care. This is the experience shared by most PBRN investigators. Your level of participation in any single study is completely up to you.

The potential benefits of participating in the ACCP PBRN are as follows:

Possible Benefits to Your Professional Growth and Development

• Enjoy the satisfaction that comes from contributing to new medical knowledge and strengthening the research base of the profession.
• Provides venues for the collegial interactions and exchange of ideas with fellow clinical pharmacist-investigators.
• Provides an opportunity to engage students, residents, and fellows in clinical pharmacy practice-based research-based practice.
• May provide financial remuneration for the time spent doing research.
• Helps develop a scholarly portfolio for your curriculum vitae.
• Provides continuing education credit for attending ACCP annual meetings and participating in training and certification activities for specific ACCP studies.
• You have the ability to choose your level of participation in – and hence your time commitment to – any PBRN research study.

Possible Benefits to ACCP

• Projects may promote the profession of clinical pharmacy by contributing to the scientific basis for the value of clinical pharmacy services we provide.
• ACCP and its membership, not third parties, decide what studies are undertaken and what treatment is performed.
• Enhances the visibility and recognition of clinical pharmacists as vital practitioners and researchers.
• Robust research questions can be explored that would not be possible on the individual sites because of an insufficient number of potential subjects at each site.
• Research questions may be addressed that are of broad interest to our members.

Possible Benefits to Your Practice Site

• Distinguishes your practice from other practices, acting as a practice promoter or practice builder.
• May improve the logistics of daily clinical operations, serve as a team builder for your practice staff, and engage the entire staff in quality improvement and the safe, efficacious, and cost-effective use and delivery of medications and clinical pharmacy services.
• Potential to be recognized as a participating site at local, state, national, and international clinical pharmacy meetings and research conferences.
• Allows clinical pharmacist-investigators to compare their practice with other practices, using results that are presented anonymously.
• Provides certificates suitable for framing and displaying in the office.
• Increases your practice’s visibility and stature among patients as a cutting-edge research practice.

Possible Benefits to Your Patients

• May enhance communication with patients by showing that the clinical pharmacist-investigator cares about the scientific basis of daily clinical practice.
• Expands the vision for patient care by including a formalized research and quality improvement through evaluating medication therapy management.

Yes! You will be required to complete a human participants protection course and provide the ACCP PBRN with a certificate of completion. You will also participate in ACCP PBRN orientation training that will be available to you free of charge.

Yes! We are looking for experienced clinical investigators at all levels. Not all ACCP PBRN research projects may be suited to you, but many will be. As long as you have access to a potential pool of patient subjects, we encourage you to register with the ACCP PBRN.

The amount of training needed for any particular study varies widely. Some studies require only that you read certain materials and then participate in a telephone conference call. Others require that you take an online course, followed by one or more visits to your practice for further on-site training.

Before you enroll in any particular study, we will discuss with you how much training time will be required, as well as how much time will be required to participate in the study once you have completed the training. The expectation with PBRN research is that it will interfere as little as possible with the daily routine of your practice.

All ACCP PBRN members are required to have completed human subjects protections training within the last 2 years. However, beginning January 1, 2011, the ACCP PBRN will require all ACCP PBRN members to pass CITI Program Training before participating in research projects in which the ACCP contract central IRB, the American Academy of Family Medicine (AAFP) IRB, is the approving IRB. The ACCP Research Institute has contracted with the CITI Program to deliver research ethics education to all members of the ACCP PBRN, free of charge. The central IRB of the ACCP PBRN has set the requirement for CITI Program training as the only source of training.

To access the modules, go to http://www.citiprogram.org to register and begin online training. Many institutions utilize the CITI Program training for their human subjects' training. Thus, the CITI Program allows members to be affiliated with more than one institution. You will need to become affiliated with the ACCP Research Institute. Additional FAQs regarding CITI Program Training can be found under Step 3 within PBRNConnect. http://www.accpri.org/pbrnconnect/index.aspx

To join the ACCP PBRN, please visit our Web site at http://www.accpri.org/pbrn/. You can join as an individual. You can also register as an existing PBRN.