This letters was published in the journal Tuith Online in April 2002West of Scotland Primary Care ResearchApril 2002 Dear Colleague, I am writing to tell you about developments with GRID since the launch meeting in February and to respond to feedback from you. I hope to outline the future plans and timescales for getting Primary Care Research into Practice. CONTACT DETAILS If you do not wish to be contacted in future about these matters feel free to contact me and I will remove your contact details from our mailing list. Also if you know of anyone who would like to be included on the list let me know. FEEDBACK FROM YOU I have had plenty of feedback following the launch of GRID and would like to answer your queries here. GRID in its new form has only recently come into being. The steering group has academic members from Glasgow Dental Hospital and dentists from General Dental Practice and the Community Dental Service. This close collaboration between Secondary and Primary Care will hopefully lead to the development of high quality, relevant research that can take place in the primary care setting. We are developing a contact network for those who are interested in getting involved in dental primary care research and would like your involvement in the development of projects and your participation when projects are underway. There are a number of small projects already taking place (see PROJECT RECRUITMENT) and the Toothwear Project is already in existence. Future projects will be developed with input from those who will be taking part and this should ensure feasible and enjoyable participation. Dental health is intimately related to other health issues and we hope to develop links with other healthcare professionals and develop multidisciplinary research to further joined up, holistic care for patients. UK DENTAL PRIMARY CARE RESEARCH You may have seen or be interested to read a recent article by Prof. Trevor Burke in the Dental Update March 2002, 'Research in Dental Practice: A 'SWOT' Analysis' which concludes that research of real-world dentistry will often glean clinically related and relevant answers with wide ranging benefits for the practitioners taking part and their patients. FUNDING It is proposed that funding should be available to dentists in the GDS to take part in research and we hope that in the future, arrangements similar to those for Audit funding will be in place Scotland-wide. Currently those contracted with Greater Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust can claim £118.00 per three-hour session for approved research activity and courses. The session fee cannot be split but half sessions may be added up. If this applies to you contact me for a claim form. The first GRID meeting counts for half a session and your attendance has been logged. We will discuss making similar provision for those of you working under contract the other West of Scotland Health Boards and will let you know the result as soon as discussions take place. Funding for time taken out of the working week to participate in studies will be factored into applications for project funding, where appropriate, and if time or material costs are involved. TOOTHWEAR PROJECT The Toothwear Project is a Scotland wide project developed by the Scottish Dental PBRN. Calls were made for recruitment to this study to gather data about toothwear in primary care in March this year. Thank you for signing up if you have already done so. Your comments and queries concerning the project are welcome and if you would like more information on taking part please let me know. This phase of the project is a small pilot to gather baseline information. The results will be collated to put forward as a grant application for a larger study for which practitioners will be funded for their time and involvement should they chose to take part. SDPBRN When you attended the GRID meeting your contact details were added to the Scottish Dental Practice Based Research Network membership database. You will be kept informed of any research initiatives or meetings that Scottish Dental PBRN organise in the future Scotland-wide. Please fill out the Scottish Dental PBRN Registration Form. We would invite you to complete this, if you have not already done so, to allow us to gauge your level of interest and experience. Sharon Letters a GDP is undertaking a Masters in Dental Primary Care at Glasgow Dental Hospital. She is doing a project on vCJD infection and endodontics files. She is looking to recruit 25 Dental Practices to take part. It involves a questionnaire answered over the phone that takes 10 minutes and sampling of some endodontics files, which will be replaced. If you wish to take part you can contact Sharon at sharonletters@lineone.net or on 07799331857. Shortly, another Masters student Mark Stewart will be looking to recruit interested practitioners to take part in a project assessing the longevity of Resin-retained bridges in Primary Care. If you might be interested in this topic contact me and I will pass on your details to Mark. UPCOMING COURSES WestNet WORKSHOP: RESEARCHING CARDIOVASCULAR PROBLEMS AND DIABETES IN PRIMARY CARE. If you have and interest in this workshop that will take place on Friday 19th April 2002 in the Kelvin Conference Centre, Glasgow, registration and buffet at 1.30pm, Workshop 2pm please contact Jean Taylor for details on 0141 211 1690 or gc1249@clinmed.gla.ac.uk. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS COURSE Qualitative research methods are becoming more frequently employed by dental researchers to find new ways of addressing old problems. Interview and focus group techniques will be covered in the 'Qualitative Methods for Primary Care Research Masterclass' on 29th May 2002 in the Kelvin Conference Centre, Glasgow, with a very enthusiastic and experienced tutor Dr Rose Barbour. If this is of interest to you for further details contact Denise Needham at denise@sspc.uk.com or tel. 0131 651 4013. 4th SCOTTISH EXTENDED EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE COURSE This course takes place over two three day blocks 12-14th June 2002 and 4-6th September 2002, to learn the skills of evidence-based practice. The groups will learn to appraise different types of research evidence and will develop Internet searching skills. There will also be teaching on study design and implementing research evidence. If this is of interest see enclosed leaflet for more information. WHAT NEXT FOR GRID? On the 16th April 2002 representatives of the Trust and University of Glasgow are meeting to establish a 5-10 year plan for key research priorities for Oral Health in this area of Scotland. If you have any big oral health issues in mind and would like me to present them to this meeting please contact me and your view will be put forward. Following this meeting the GRID steering group will convene and begin to put some of these key aims into action in developing projects for consultation with the membership. We will also keep you informed of any other projects coming online that might be of interest. As always feel free to contact me if I can be of any help at the addresses below. Kind regards
Anna McGowan, Dental Primary Care Research Advisor 05 August 2002 Dear Colleague,
As always feel free to contact me if I can be of any help at the addresses below. Kind regards
Anna McGowan, GRID Co-ordinator and Dental Primary Care Research Advisor for Greater Glasgow Primary
Care NHS Trust. |
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