The Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) held its 1st Primary Care Research Conference this Monday, October 28, aimed at emphasizing the significance of research in this field. The event brought together researchers from the institution and professionals from various Primary Care centers to foster debate on the current state of this research and the opportunities it may offer.
“With this conference, within the framework of IR Sant Pau, we aimed to promote collaboration among Primary Care professionals, both doctors and nurses, and those from the hospital. We also sought to establish connections with public health professionals, as research in Primary Care is deeply linked to community care and public health,” explained Dr. Carlos Brotons, head of the Primary Care research group at IR Sant Pau and director of the EAP Sardenya Research Unit, one of the organizers of the event along with Dr. Pablo Alonso-Coello, director of the Epidemiology, Public Health, and Primary Care area at IR Sant Pau.
Brotons added: “Additionally, we organized a roundtable on clinical trials in Primary Care, a field with great development potential. For this, we invited experts with successful experiences in this area to share their knowledge.”
Throughout the day, clinical research experiences were presented in areas such as musculoskeletal diseases, with projects focused on osteoporosis and gout; non-oncologic chronic pain, highlighting the importance of preventing and reducing the use of pharmacological treatments as the sole therapeutic option; diabetes; and heart failure. Community research topics were also addressed, including health surveys in Barcelona, used to monitor Primary Care from the population’s perspective and analyze inequalities; colorectal cancer screening as a collaborative research opportunity; and the “Barcelona Salut als Barris” program.
The event featured Pilar Gayoso, Deputy Director of Research Evaluation and Promotion at the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid, who delivered a lecture on the present and future of Primary Care research and its integration into health research institutes. “Institutes must incorporate Primary Care researchers, but not forcibly; the goal is to encourage their proactive integration,” Gayoso emphasized during her presentation. She also added, “It’s essential that these professionals do not abandon clinical care but rather have spaces to reflect on the results they obtain in consultations.”
To carry out this event, IR Sant Pau collaborated with EAP Sardenya, Dreta de l’Eixample, and Disset de Setembre; ABS Sagrada Familia; the Primary Care Consortium of Barcelona Esquerra (CAPSBE), the Catalan Institute of Health (ICS); IDIAP Jordi Gol; the Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB); professionals from various departments of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, and the Carlos III Health Institute.
