Embedding primary healthcare professionals as consumers in cancer research development

General practitioners, practice nurses and practice managers implement research findings with patients daily. So, as such important stakeholders in research translation, why are they not routinely engaged to contribute to research development?

The team at Primary Care Collaborative Cancer Clinical Trials Group (PC4) posed this question in the Australian Journal of General Practice. Their solution? GP Circle, a unique initiative to integrate primary care professionals early in the development of cancer research.

“There is a strong drive to ensure consumer involvement in research. From our perspective, this includes general practitioners (GPs) and other healthcare professionals as the next users of research,” said Dr Kristi Milley, of PC4 and the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research.

“The [GP Circle] initiative created an online national group that participates in discussions about new research and creates opportunities for members to join research teams as a general practice representative, either as an associate investigator or as part of a steering committee.”

Read the full article.