The lack of clinical research in primary care is a problem that has been addressed by clinicians, researchers, health authorities and politicians alike. Clinical research in primary care is hard work, logistically. The researcher has to perform a two-step process; first recruit GPs for the study, and second support the clinician in recruiting patients. This cycle has to be done over and over again for each patient and each study.

For the clinicians, research invitations come unpredictably, and without advice from scientifically as well as clinically competent authorities. Each practice or even each single GP must decide whether the research project has the necessary scientific standard or clinical relevance. Missing competence to assess this may result in decline of participation due to uncertainty. In contrast, many clinicians may be interested in participating in research if a minimum of framework is in place. Such a framework must include support for practical tasks, training, available time from other duties, reasonable funding and relevance for own practice.

The lack of framework in many places represents a waste of time for clinical researchers and a waste of resources for the society. Ultimately, it reduces the patients’ opportunity to participate in research in their own interest.

Primary Care Research Networks are infrastructures of clinical practices linked together by a research institution with employees who actively recruit clinicians to the network and help them stay “research ready”. Furthermore, the network supports researchers in recruitment of patients and obtainment of data, which also reduces the burden on the clinician. Research networks already exist in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Ireland and other countries. In addition to supporting the obtaining of high quality data with less effort for the researcher, they also support international collaboration.

In Norway, we are currently establishing a nation-wide network, and I will share experiences from this process. The vision for the Norwegian Primary Care Research Network is to support research of high quality that ultimately improves the health of our patients. Establishment of research networks in primary care is an adequate response to current and future challenges in the health care services.