Project Summary
Georgia Watch plans to use this Tier II PCORI funding to solidify our partnership of stakeholders who share a desire to advance patient-centered outcomes research focused on the provision of preventative primary care, acute and chronic care, and chronic disease management services by advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in rural Georgia communities. Georgia is the ninth-most-populous state but currently ranks 49th in the number of primary care physicians per capita. In rural Georgia, several counties have no primary care physician, and 13 have only one primary care physician serving the entire county. A total of 129 out of Georgia’s 159 counties contain federally designated primary care health professional shortage areas. Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and respiratory disease are among the leading causes of death in Georgia. Rural hospital closures are exacerbating the state’s provider access issues. Healthcare access is a critical issue in rural Georgia, and innovative care delivery models using non-physician providers are being implemented to improve the health of its population. Georgia Watch is convening a collaborative group of patients, physicians, hospital representatives, clinic-based providers, state agency representatives, academic researchers, state and national professional nursing organizations, healthcare industry business leaders, and consumer advocacy organizations to determine the specifics of a patient-centered research question. Georgia Watch serves as the lead organization, in partnership with Augusta University College of Nursing. Throughout Tier II, participating stakeholders will come together to determine which populations, care delivery models, and desired health outcomes to focus on for comparative research purposes.