Clinical Outcomes Research Group - R&D Services

Clinical Outcomes Research Group
in Association with the Community Pharmacist Research Network
R. Leon Longe, Pharm. D., Professor llonge@mail.mcg.edu
William J. Spruill, Pharm. D., Associate Professor bspruill@rx.uga.edu
A. Thomas Taylor, Pharm. D., Associate Professor totaylor@mail.mcg.edu
William E. Wade, Pharm.D., Associate Professor bwade@rx.uga.edu
Introduction
The Clinical Outcomes Research Group consists of faculty members of The University of Georgia College of Pharmacy. The Community Pharmacy Research Network is a group of independent community pharmacists found across the State of Georgia. According to many national pharmacy leaders, this partnership remains a unique enterprise.
The need to form this partnership is based on the shift of healthcare toward a community setting with greater emphasis on healthcare cost containment, pharmacists conducted education and disease state management programs, wellness, disease prevention and self-care.
Background
The Clinical Outcomes Research Group (CORG) mission statement is to conduct drug-related clinical outcomes research. Four faculty members in the Department of Clinical and Administrative Sciences established CORG in 1995. CORG members are A. Thomas Taylor, Pharm. D., William E. Wade, Pharm. D., William J. Spruill, Pharm. D., and R. Leon Longe, Pharm. D. Each member has extensive clinical training and experience with active clinical practices. Recognizing the healthcare paradigm shift to community care, CORG established a practitioner research network of community pharmacists to conduct drug-related clinical outcomes research.
The Community Pharmacy Research Network (CPR-Net) consists of sixty independent community pharmacists located throughout the State of Georgia. Geographically, they are dispersed into four regions, with most practicing in rural settings. CPR-Net members are interested in conducting projects in pharmaceutical care, health-related quality of life, pharmacoeconomics, and product evaluations. These pharmacists offer a variety of pharmacy services and have large, diverse patient populations through which studies are conducted. A primary concern is documenting the value of their services and being compensated for patient care.
CORG and CPR-Net have combined their resources as a unique academic-practitioner partnership to conduct clinical outcomes research in the community pharmacy setting.
Activities
Working together, CORG and CPR-Net have been successful in developing applied research projects of interest to academic and practitioner pharmacists. Recognition of this alliance has lead to national/international publications and presentations. Articles have appeared in the journals Formulary and Pharmacoeconomics. Research results have been presented at the meetings of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) in Palm Springs and the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) in Philadelphia.
Our first project entitled "Health Quality of Life Assessment of Patients Receiving Antidepressant Drugs" is nearing completion. About fifty patients have completed this study in pharmacies across the State. The purpose of this study was to document health-related quality of life in relation to the side effect profile associated with antidepressant drugs. Preliminary results have been presented at the international ISPOR meeting, with invited publication of the results in two well-known journals in the field of outcomes research.
Several other projects are in various stages of planning and include: "Pharmacist Intervention Trial in Medicaid Patients taking Long-term H-2 Blocker Therapy," "Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure," and "Patient Compliance with American Diabetes Association Recommendations by Pharmacist Interventions."
CORG and CPR-net have held two annual meetings for continuing education and project planning. These meetings have been completed at four regional locations across the State.
CPR-net members receive a quarterly newsletter, "CPR-Net News." The newsletter informs the members of various activities such as national presentations, upcoming events, and educational reviews related to pharmacy outcomes.
CORG had a booth at the Annual Meeting of the Georgia Pharmaceutical Association in Hilton Head. Pharmacists could see the applied research of CORG and CPR-Net and join the network.