Measuring Research Capacity: Development of the PACER Tool.

Evaluating research activity in research departments and education programs is conventionally accomplished through measurement of research funding or bibliometrics. This limited perspective of research activity restricts a more comprehensive evaluation of a program's actual research capacity, ultimately hindering efforts to enhance and expand it. The objective of this study was to conduct a scoping review of the existing literature pertaining to the measurement of research productivity in research institutions.

Local Health Equity Action Teams (LHEATS) as a Novel and Emerging Practice of the Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE) Project in Kansas.

The Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE) Project was implemented in 20 counties across Kansas to build capacity to address health equity by forming local health equity action teams (LHEATS), hiring and training community health workers, facilitating state-wide learning collaboratives, and tailoring communication strategies. We conducted interviews and focus groups with project stakeholders who identified pragmatic recommendations related to LHEAT formation and leadership, establishing trust, nurturing autonomy, and optimizing impact. Insights can improve future community-based health equity efforts.

Communities organizing to promote equity: engaging local communities in public health responses to health inequities exacerbated by COVID-19-protocol paper.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted rural and under-resourced urban communities in Kansas. The state's response to COVID-19 has relied on a highly decentralized and underfunded public health system, with 100 local health departments in the state, few of which had prior experience engaging local community coalitions in a coordinated response to a public health crisis.

Methods: To improve the capacity for local community-driven responses to COVID-19 and other public health needs, the University of Kansas Medical Center, in partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, will launch Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE) in 20 counties across Kansas.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patient Disparities in Long-Term Opioid Therapy.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted how primary care patients with chronic pain received care. Our study sought to understand how long-term opioid therapy (LtOT) for chronic pain changed over the course of the pandemic overall and for different demographic subgroups.

Methods: We used data from electronic health records of 64 primary care clinics across Washington state and Idaho to identify patients who had a chronic pain diagnosis and were receiving long-term opioid therapy.

Assessing Social Needs and Engaging Community Health Workers in Underserved Kansas Counties: Insights From Primary Care Providers and Clinic Managers.

Introduction: Rural and under-resourced urban communities face unique challenges in addressing patients' social determinants of health needs (SDoH). Community health workers (CHWs) can support patients experiencing social needs, yet little is known about how rural and under-resourced primary care clinics are screening for SDoH or utilizing CHWs.

Methods: Interviews were conducted with primary care clinic providers and managers across a geographically large and predominately rural state to assess screening practices for SDoH and related community resources, and perspectives on using CHWs to address SDoH.

Refugee and migrants' involvement in participatory spaces in a US practice-based research network study: Responding to unanticipated priorities.

Background: Refugees and migrants face suboptimal involvement in spaces for primary healthcare decision-making. Given the rising numbers of resettled refugees and migrants in primary care settings in the United States, there is an urgent need for patient-centred outcome research in practice-based research networks (PBRNs) with diverse ethnolinguistic communities. This study explored whether researchers, clinicians and patients would achieve consensus on (1) a common set of clinical problems that were applicable across a PBRN and (2) potential clinical interventions to address those problems to inform a patient-centred outcomes research (PCOR) study in a similar research network.

Understanding Medication Adherence in Bhutanese Refugees With Diabetes in a Midwestern City.

Introduction: Bhutanese refugees have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes but are less likely to achieve medication adherence and glycemic control. The purpose of this project was to understand factors affecting diabetes medication adherence in this population.

Methodology: This was a qualitative project using focus groups of adult Bhutanese refugees with type 2 diabetes ≥18 years old and hemoglobin A1C ≥8% and their caregivers from a family medicine clinic at the University of Kansas.

The impact of economic recession on the health of migrant fathers over time: results from the Growing up in Ireland longitudinal study.

Background: The relationship between economic conditions and health can depend on both the health outcome measured and the composition of the population. Analysis of outcomes by both ethnicity and country of birth has been recommended. The aim of our study is to explore the impact of recession on self-rated health and depression of migrant fathers in Ireland over time, considering both ethnicity and country of birth.

Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccination Among Health System Personnel.

Introduction: One-third of the general public will not accept Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination but factors influencing vaccine acceptance among health care personnel (HCP) are not known. We investigated barriers and facilitators to vaccine acceptance within 3 months of regulatory approval (primary outcome) among adult employees and students at a tertiary-care, academic medical center.

Methods: We used a cross-sectional survey design with multivariable logistic regression.

'If relevant, yes; if not, no': General practitioner (GP) users and GP perceptions about asking ethnicity questions in Irish general practice: A qualitative analysis using Normalization Process Theory.

Context: The use of ethnic identifiers in health systems is recommended in several European countries as a means to identify and address heath inequities. There are barriers to implementation that have not been researched.

Objective: This study examines whether and how ethnicity data can be collected in Irish general practices in a meaningful and acceptable way.

Participatory health research with migrants: Opportunities, challenges, and way forwards.

Context: Migration is one of the most politically pressing issues of the 21st century but migrant health remains an under-researched area. The International Collaboration for Participatory Health Research (ICPHR) working group on migration developed this position statement to address opportunities and challenges in relation to migrant health. It aims to contribute to a shift from a deficit model that sees migrants as passively affected by policies to their reconceptualization as citizens who are engaged in the co-creation of solutions.

Exploring Lived Experiences of Chronic Pain Through Photo-Elicitation and Social Networking.

Objective: To understand how patients' use of photo-elicitation and online social networks (Facebook) enhances their understanding of what it means to live with pain.

Design: Qualitative substudy of the intervention arm of a randomized trial.

Setting/subjects: Primary care patients living with pain drawn from nine family practices with at least two pain visits in the last six months.

Acculturation and post-migration psychological symptoms among Iraqi refugees: A path analysis.

Refugees frequently experience symptoms of posttraumatic stress and depression, which impede their acculturation in the new host country where they are resettling. There are few longitudinal studies investigating predictors of mental health and acculturation during the early postmigration period. We conducted a longitudinal study of 298 Iraqi refugees, assessing them upon arrival to the U.

Participatory methods for research prioritization in primary care: an analysis of the World Café approach in Ireland and the USA.

Background: There are increasing imperatives for patients and members of the public to engage as partners in identifying health research priorities. The use of participatory methods to engage stakeholders in health care in research prioritization is not commonly reported.

Objective: This article analyses the use of World Cafés as a participatory method for research prioritization with marginalized communities in Ireland and the USA.

Tokenism in patient engagement.

Background: Patient engagement throughout research is a way to generate more relevant patient-important research questions, methods and results with the ultimate aim of facilitating translation of research into practice. Tokenism is defined as the practice of making perfunctory or symbolic efforts to engage communities or patients.

Objective: We wanted to explore how tokenism might influence engaging patients in research to help researchers work towards more genuine engagement.

Engaging with communities, engaging with patients: amendment to the NAPCRG 1998 Policy Statement on Responsible Research With Communities.

Background: In 1998, the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) adopted a groundbreaking Policy Statement endorsing responsible participatory research (PR) with communities. Since that time, PR gained prominence in primary care research.

Objectives: To reconsider the original 1998 Policy Statement in light of increased uptake of PR, and suggest future directions and applications for PR in primary care.

Pilot Study of Exercise Therapy on Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.

Objective: Painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common complication of diabetes. While the beneficial effect of exercise on diabetes is well established, its effect specifically on painful DPN has not been thoroughly explored. The objective of this pilot study was to examine the effect of aerobic exercise on pain in people with DPN.

Safety of aerobic exercise in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy: single-group clinical trial.

Background: Exercise is recommended for people with diabetes, but little is known about exercise in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).

Objective: The primary purpose of this preliminary study was to examine adverse events (AEs) during moderate-intensity, supervised aerobic exercise in people with DPN. The secondary purpose was to examine changes in fatigue, aerobic fitness, and other outcomes after intervention.

Communication during patient-provider encounters regarding diabetes self-management.

Background And Objectives: Diabetes is a common chronic illness with potentially severe complications. The risk of complications is reduced through controlling blood sugar, lipids, and blood pressure. While medical intervention is important, substantial self-management on the part of patients is required to achieve good control.

Patient-provider communication about diabetes self-care activities.

Background And Objectives: Controlling diabetes requires sustained self-management on the part of patients. Health care providers can support patients' self-care efforts through communication and problem solving. We conducted this study to determine the frequency with which self-care activities were discussed during office visits for follow-up care of diabetes and how much time was spent on these discussions.