A new triadic paradigm for osteopathic research in real-world settings.

Clinical research is increasingly conducted in real-world settings. Osteopathic practices represent natural laboratories for studying the distinctiveness of osteopathic medicine. The Osteopathic Research Center (ORC) recently developed a triadic paradigm for research consisting of the Consortium for Collaborative Osteopathic Research Development (CONCORD), its affiliated practice-based research network (PBRN), and the patient-centered research (PCR) fellowship program. The CONCORD-PBRN was certified by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in 2011. The inaugural PCR fellowship class completed didactic training that year. Fellows increased their knowledge of research design and biostatistics following participation in the curriculum. In 2012, a card study of osteopathic palpatory findings and manual techniques will be conducted within the CONCORD-PBRN. The ORC plans to use a hub-and-spoke model to grow the CONCORD-PBRN. Further expansion of this triadic paradigm is dependent on funding streams to support the needed research infrastructure.