FAQ – Frequently asked questions

More information (in German) can be found:

https://www.gesundheitsforschung-bmbf.de/de/desam-fornet-desam-koordinierungsstelle-fur-forschungspraxen-netze-in-der-allgemeinmedizin-11259.php

• The nationwide creation of a sustainable and internationally competitive network of qualified research practices that will enable a wide range of research (including clinical studies) to be carried out in a primary care setting.
• The development of joint standards as a basis for cross-network collaboration. These will cover such topics as data protection, research processes in a general practice setting, and quality management, and will involve training research practices in conducting research.
• Promotion of patient participation by including the patient’s perspective early on in our research.

• In the regional research practice networks, family medicine research practices cooperate with institutes of general practice at medical universities to conduct research studies.

• For more information (in German): https://www.gesundheitsforschung-bmbf.de/de/aufbau-einer-netzwerkstruktur-fur-forschungspraxen-11238.php

Research is crucial to good medical care, and evidence-based medicine cannot exist without it. Good research produces robust results and makes the difficult work of doctors, including GPs, more enjoyable – it is a pleasure and a relief to have a solid scientific basis for decisions. To date, little use has been made of the potential of general practices for research in Germany. Yet it is in family practices that patients receive a large proportion of their medical care. The Initiative of German Practice-Based Research Networks – DESAM-ForNet makes the work of general practitioners visible and supports practices with relevant research results.

Research results generated in controlled specialty settings are only partially transferable to patients in real-world practices. Trial participants are not broadly representative of typical patients, and this results in considerable uncertainty with regard to the risks and benefits of widely used medical interventions. Patients need better information and evidence on the effects of health care delivered “in the real world”, and clinical researchers need a vehicle to carry out research in primary care and to close these evidence gaps. With its regional networks, the Initiative of German Practice-Based Research Networks – DESAM-ForNet serves as a bridge connecting the worlds of policy and academia to the “real world”-experience, thus translating research ‘from the ivory tower to the village green’ (Chris van Weel) and providing an infrastructure within which to carry out research that really matters to society and the individual patient.

Please contact us!

German Foundation of General Practice and Family Medicine (DESAM)

Coordination Office for the Initiative of German Practice-Based Research Networks – DESAM-ForNet

Schumannstr. 9

10117 Berlin

Tel: +49 (0)30-20 966 98-25

E-Mail: koordinierung@desam-fornet.de