There has been a continuously increasing focus and discussion on interdisciplinary collaboration in primary
care, across various settings and in different forums, during the past few years. Interprofessional and interdisciplinary
collaboration should be a cornerstone of daily practice and context-relevant research. We considered
it important for this manuscript to attempt to address some of the key issues linked to the recognised need for
competence-based training, focusing on interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaboration, so as to promote
and enhance context-relevant research in primary care. This article provides a general introduction and an overview
of this topic, along with some key concepts and operational definitions. These key definitions and their
interrelated nature are examined in detail, including those of practice-based research network, patient-centred
primary care research, and interdisciplinary partnership for research. Furthermore, this paper outlines the reasons
for the strong focus on composition and the development of strategies to enhance the research capacity of
interdisciplinary partnerships throughout training. Workforce training, retention and academic collaboration
are considered, with a particular focus on primary care, and existing interprofessional relationships and perceptions
thereof. Organizational aspects influencing relationships and practice are considered along with their
contribution in terms of practice, research and discourse. Finally, conclusions and recommendations, formed
under the prism of rapidly changing population needs, person-centred values and the imperative need of bringing
innovation to the patient in an effective and efficient manner, are presented for further discussion.
AHRQ UPDATES ON PRIMARY CARE RESEARCH: MCC RESEARCH NETWORK DATA ARCHIVE
