Vol XX, December `05

"Research networks provide a mechanism for people and ideas to come together," said Research Network Chair Larry Lawhorne, MD. "They enable researchers to coordinate diverse activities and disseminate new information."

In welcoming the 60-plus researchers to the meeting, Lawhorne discussed the tremendous progress the Network has made since its inception in 1999. This includes several ongoing research projects, completed and published studies on topics such as diabetes, the involvement of the Network as the long term care arm of a national practice-based research network (the FPIN), and the establishment of Michigan State University as the Network's centralized institutional review board (IRB).

"It goes without saying that we've made tremendous progress," Lawhorne noted, adding, "We are fortunate to have a dedicated group of practitioners who are committed to utilizing research to improve the quality of patient care in long term care settings."

The meeting included general sessions addressing topics such as informed consent and lessons learned from the Foundation's Quality Improvement Partnership study. Participants also heard about ongoing progress of workgroups addressing topics such as anemia, diabetes, and urinary incontinence.

The program included two popular "firsts". One involved elective programs on topics such as human subjects protection, literature searches, survey questionnaires, and inclusion and exclusion criteria. These sessions were offered on Saturday afternoon and again on Sunday morning to give attendees an opportunity to participate in sessions on two topics of their choice. The other first was the display of draft clinical research posters. Presenters had the opportunity to receive feedback from Research Network members before finalizing the posters for presentation at the AMDA Annual Symposium and other national meetings.

"The Research Network has been an important source of information, support, and inspiration," said one member, whose interest in long term care research was stoked by his participation in the Foundation's Futures Program. Today, he said, research is an important component of his professional activities, and the Research Network is key to his work.

Many conversations and information exchanges continue from one Research Network program to the next, and members applauded this continuity. For example, participants were pleased to hear that a lively discussion on informed consent will continue at the Spring Conference to be held during the AMDA Annual Symposium in Dallas next March.