Abstract
The European General Practice Research Network (EGPRN) and the European Rural and Isolated Practitioner Association (EURIPA) convened a historic joint meeting in Malta in October 2013. Speakers reviewed the inadequacies of the current system and conduct of clinical science research and the use and misuse of the resulting findings. Rural communities offer extraordinary opportunities to conduct more holistic, integrative, and relevant research using new methods and data sources. Investigators presented exciting research findings on questions important to the health of those in rural areas. Participants discussed several strategies to enhance the capacity and stature of rural health research and practice. EGPRN and EURIPA pledged to work together to develop rural research courses, joint research projects, and a European Rural Research Agenda based on the most urgent priorities and the European definition of general practice research in rural health care.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors should like to thank the rural family doctors who do it all—patient care, teaching, community service, and research. They are our inspiration.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper. Both authors received support from EGPRN and EURIPA to attend the conference in Malta.