Pharmacy practice-based research networks: why, what, who, and how.

Objectives: To describe practice innovations that can lead to measurable advances in the safety and effectiveness of medication use and to recommend a course of action that is likely to lead to practicable improvements in the medication use system.

Data Sources: Proceedings of a national conference; review of the medical literature.

Data Synthesis: Only those interventions that can be reliably implemented by typical practitioners in a wide range of practice settings can produce lasting benefits for considerable numbers of patients. Teamwork between and among disciplines is needed for new insights and novel approaches to delivering pharmaceutical products and services. Building on the experience of other health disciplines, a cross section of pharmacy practitioners, researchers, educators, and leaders were able to identify the key questions, strategies, and actions needed to form collaborations for devising and testing new ideas and transferring the findings into everyday practice.

Conclusion: Pharmacy practice research that leads to improvements in the medication use process is needed. Practice-based research networks provide a model for building a synergy among pharmacists and other stakeholders to devise improvements that provide sustainable and systemwide improvements in medication use.