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The Pediatric Practice Research Group (PPRG) is well-established regional practice-based research network founded in 1984 as a partnership of the Department of Pediatrics at Children’s Memorial Hospital (CMH) in Chicago and an enthusiastic group of 20 pediatric practices. It now includes 72 Chicago-area community practices and health centers with leadership and operational support located at CMH. Our mission statement explains our purpose:
The Pediatric Practice Research Group is dedicated to understanding and promoting optimal child health and function through practice-based research in the primary care setting. We value excellence and innovation in research through a network-based approach; gathering and sharing information from diverse practices in theChicago area. Our goal is to utilize this cooperative research effort in order to improve and refine child health care through determining best practices, delivering ongoing clinical education to providers, and evaluating the outcomes of our efforts.
The PPRG is a successful partnership between hospital-based academicians and community physicians. It offers a venue for research for both and also provides an opportunity for pediatric residents, pediatric fellows and medical or allied health students interested in designing and leading studies on primary care topics to gain valuable experience. The community physicians can continue their involvement in research after residency training, receive education for themselves and for staff members, or learn more about their practice. Project involvement may lead to changes in the way they provide care to their patients.
The network has completed numerous research projects. This level of activity is possible because of the dedicated efforts of community primary care providers and their office staff members. The array of leaders for Pediatric Practice Research Group projects is diverse and includes medical students, pediatric residents, allied health professionals, and experienced pediatric physicians and child psychologists.
Practices generally participate in projects of interest. Topics best studied in a practice-based network are 1) interesting to practicing pediatricians, 2) commonly arise in pediatric care, or 3) involve normal growth and development. Several themes of research have proven to be fruitful for the PPRG. These include series of studies focused on the following: growth and nutrition; injury; child behavior; gastrointestinal conditions; and, a recent addition, tobacco. However, projects completed by the PPRG are quite diverse.
While many of our past projects relate to delivery of preventive care, we have also completed studies which focus on care of children with particular diseases and office systems to promote care. Providers benefit from the group’s participation by learning new ways to provide care and learning more about the families and patients that receive care at their offices. These benefits can then be translated into improved, efficient care across the array of patients and families that visit their practices.
The Pediatric Practice Research Group includes scores of practices and hundreds of pediatricians throughout the Chicago area. It continues to grow and welcomes new members on a regular basis. We encourage participation from practices that focus solely on pediatric care and also welcome practices that include other child providers, particularly nurse practitioners or family physicians.
The 72 practices of the PPRG include 121 offices sites and 446 medical providers (78% pediatricians, 8% family physicians, 14% advanced practice nurses). Thirty-seven percent of the offices are located within the Chicago city limits. The PPRG serves a racially/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse population. Among its 72 practices, 45 serve primarily non-Hispanic white patients, 17 serve a mix of Hispanic and African American patients, 4 serve primarily Hispanic patients, and 6 serve primarily African American patients. Most of the patients at 15 practices receive health insurance coverage from Medicaid or are uninsured, 17 practices see a mix of patients with private insurance and those with Medicaid coverage, and the remainder of PPRG practices serve primarily privately-insured patients. Partnerships with three large health networks are not included in the above statistics. These networks (Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), the Ambulatory and Community Health Network (ACHN)-an arm of the Cook County Department of Public Health-, and Access Community Health Network) all serve primarily low-income, African American or Hispanic patients. Thus, they enhance our ability to reach inner-city areas of Chicago. When studies of interest to these organizations arise, they are presented to CDPH, ACHN, or Access leaders for their consideration. If accepted, in addition to the CMH IRB, studies are submitted to their respective IRBs. The PPRG has received funding from federal, state and private foundations and accomplished subject protection reviews at 4 local IRBs.
Number of Practices, Offices, & Providers
|
Practices |
Offices |
Providers |
# |
|
72 |
121 |
Pediatricians |
347 |
|
|
Family Physicians |
34 |
|
|
Nurse Practitioners |
65 |
Number of Offices by City Type
| Location Type |
Location Description |
# Offices |
| City |
Chicago |
45 |
| Other |
Suburban Area |
76 |
