Reports of persistent change in the clinical encounter following research participation: A report from the primary care multiethnic network (PRIME Net)

Purpose: following anecdotal reports of unexpected patient and/or clinician behavior change in the primary care encounter in a previous study,we conducted this study to learn more about the short- and long-term effects on clinician and/or patient behavior from participation in a practice-based research network (pbrn) study. methods: clinicians in two pbrn studies of acanthosis nigricans were surveyed and interviewed 3 to 6 months following one study and surveyed 3 to 5 years following a second study. we gathered data on clinicians' reports of behavior change in the encounter,the persistence of those changes,and the likely causes of reported changes. results: eighty-six percent of clinicians in the short-term and 79% in the long-term samples reported more frequent diagnostic efforts,and 68% and 54%,respectively,reported more frequent preventive counseling after participation in the studies. interview data suggested that several factors contributed to this reported behavior change: increased clinician knowledge,availability of a feasible tool to support counseling,change in patient receptivity/motivation,and creation of a new context for counseling. conclusions: reports of behavior change in the primary care encounter associated with a pbrn study suggest that pbrns may be effective vehicles for education,translation,and practice change in addition to their value in research.