(http://www.mc.uky.edu/kan)

Mission: The Kentucky Ambulatory Network (KAN) is a primary care practice-based research network (PBRN) established in the fall of 2000. KAN seeks to enhance the ability of office-based clinicians to deliver high-quality primary health care to their patients through:

1. Collaborative research conducted in primary care practices
2. Translation of research into primary care practices

KAN emphasizes the prevention and management of common health problems in Kentucky, and their broader implications.

Administration and affiliations: KAN is administered through the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Kentucky (UK), in cooperation with the University of Louisville (U of L) and the Kentucky Academy of Family Physicians. KAN is registered with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) PBRN registry. The network is also a member of the national Federation of Practice Based Research Networks and an affiliate of the American Academy of Family Physicians National Research Network.

Membership: Members include over 300 community-based clinicians practicing in 68 Kentucky counties; most of whom provide primary care via small private practices or community health centers. Members also include full time Family Medicine faculty from UK and U of L, all seven Family Medicine Residency programs in Kentucky, and other faculty with a broad array of expertise including public health, behavioral sciences and health services.

Support: KAN and its affiliated investigators have been supported to conduct practice-based research through federal and foundation grants (Health Resources and Services Administration, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the KAFP) and by the UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS).

Examples of research topics pursued so far include practice patterns, social support in cardiovascular risk reduction, cancer screening, information technology use, access to care for low SES children, use of health promotion services, complimentary/ alternative medicine in primary care, and systems-oriented quality improvement in practice.

Population served: Approximately 75% of KAN community-based clinicians practice in rural, medically-underserved areas.