The role of health information technology in the translation of research into practice: an Oklahoma Physicians Resource/Research Network (OKPRN) study.

Implementation of health information technology (HIT) has become a cornerstone of efforts to improve patient care in primary care practices. However, relatively few publications have explored the impact of HIT on the need for fundamental changes in the primary care delivery process. There is also very little published information about how HIT implementations can drive translation of research findings into practice in primary care. This article describes the process of developing and implementing the Preventive Services Reminder System in the Oklahoma Physicians Resource/Research Network, a practice-based research network, and demonstrates how strategic adoption of HIT led to the re-engineering of practices and to subsequent improvements in delivery of evidence-based preventive services.