Incorporation of the CBPR model into PBRN research is not without challenges, however, as previous authors have outlined.5, 11 Difficulties may arise in identifying a “community”, particularly when a PBRN covers a large geographic area, and in assuring appropriate representativeness of the community. The definition of community may need to be broadened to go beyond people who simply share a geographical location to include, for example, the virtual community of patients and staff in the practices contained within a PBRN.4, 6, 7, 22 We believe these can be addressed through a variety of mechanisms for representing the community in network operations, such as outlined in Table 3.
