OVERVIEW

The Department of Family Medicine embraces a research agenda that will continuously improve the health of its patients as well as their satisfaction with medical services. Testing innovations in the delivery of care is an important dimension of this agenda. In each case, new systems that take advantage of modern technology are evaluated with regard to their impact on quality and access.

Currently, the department is experimenting with Virtual Specialty Consultations (VSC) coordinated by Family Medicine providers. Patient satisfaction with the new approach is being evaluated along with differences in overall self-rated health. As the program matures, impact on clinical outcomes such as diastolic blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels will be assessed. Dr. Steven Adamson is leading this project.

The department is also evaluating a new system for open access scheduling. Phased implementation allows for comparisons between different sites in regard to the impact of Open Access scheduling on the accessibility of services. Dr. Joseph Furst is leading this research program.

The department is steadily increasing its analytical efforts for maintaining and improving clinical effectiveness. We will use rigorous methods to assess these initiatives, thus bridging the gap between "quality improvement" and "research." Dr. Greg Bartel leads this line of research and chairs the Clinical Effectiveness Committee.

In addition to health services research, the department is engaged in clinical epidemiology. For example, several projects have emerged from a large patient survey. Risk factors are being identified for headache, arm and shoulder pain, and insomnia. Drs. Margaret Houston and Lori Bates are pursuing a research program involving female sexual dysfunction. Dr. Darryl Barnes is researching the epidemiology and treatment of shoulder pain.

Several members of the department are working together to form a research group with interest in migraine and other headache disorders in primary care patients. Basic epidemiologic parameters, gender differences in presentation and response to treatment are all areas of interest.