The PHCRED Program

The Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development (PHCRED) Program is an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing which aimed to develop and strengthen research and evaluation capacity in primary health care over 5 years (2000-2005). One aspect of this important initiative concerned University Departments of General Practice and Rural Health which have been funded nationally to find innovative and sustainable ways to increase research and evaluation capacity amongst primary health care provider groups and support groups (consumers), in areas such as general practice, nutrition and dietetics, nursing, indigenous health, midwifery, physiotherapy, mental health and dentistry. 

In 2006 the program was extended for an additional four years and aims to increase the pool of PHC researchers, conduct policy relevant PHC research and to pursue the uptake of research evidence into policy. 

The PHCRED Tri-State Collaboration (SA, NT, GGT)

Building on the work conducted from 2000, a collaboration was established across South Australia to operationalise and contribute to the PHCRED program. This was extended in 2005 to include the Northern Territory and Northern Victoria. The partnership comprises of: the Discipline of General Practice at the University of Adelaide and Flinders University, and the Spencer Gulf Rural Health School in South Australia, the Centre for Rural and Remote Health in Alice Springs (and Darwin) and the Greater Green Triangle University Department of Rural Health in Warrnambool. These PHCRED partners have been working collaboratively on aspects of the PHCRED program.

The Collaboration's main role is the local implementation of the objectives of the Research Capacity Building Initiative (RCBI). For 2006-09, the RCBI objectives, which are linked to the PHCRED goals, are:

PHCRED Goal RCBI Objective
To increase the pool of researchers in primary health care and support the sustainable advancement of research careers
To increase the pool of primary health care researchers by up-skilling early career researchers, and supporting the advancement of their research careers
To conduct policy and practice relevant research To support early career researchers to undertake more high quality primary health care research and ensure its relevance to policy and practice by aligning it with identified needs and priorities
To disseminate and facilitate the uptake of evidence in policy and practice To disseminate and facilitate the uptake of evidence in policy and practice

The Tri-State Project Administrator of PHCRED Collaboration

A number of the Tri-State partners have hosted the PHCRED Tri-State program over the years, the latest being the Discipline of General Practice at the Flinders University.

Elena DiBez is the current Tri-State Project Administrator and can be contacted at:

PHCRED Program
Discipline of General Practice
Flinders University
GPO Box 2100, Adelaide SA 5000, AUSTRALIA
Phone: 08 7221 8535
Fax: 08 7221 8544
Email: administrator@phcredtristate.org.au

 
 
 

 

Adelaide University Centre for Remote Health NT Spencer Gulf Rural Health School, University of South Australia Flinders University Greater Green Triangle University Department of Rural Health in Warrnambool, Deakin University and Flinders University