The Norwegian Primary Care Research Network

Contact form (in Norwegian)

Users of The Norwegian Primary Care Research Network
All researchers who are interested in recruiting patients in primary care to research projects may use The Norwegian Primary Care Research Network. If you are a non-Norwegian speaking researcher, we encourage you to look for Norwegian researchers in the field, who may act as your liaison in the project. Your Norwegian counterpart may register interest in using PraksisNett for your common research project through this contact form. You can also look at our procedure for user projects (in Norwegian).

The researcher must have financing in place before the study can start, but completing the contact form can be done early in the process. Before the study starts, all permissions (Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REC) approval, Data Protection Impact Assessment) must also be in place. Depending on the type of research project, PraksisNett will be helpful in planning and executing the study.

Please contact us at praksisnett@uib.no if you have any questions about the use of PraksisNett in your research.

What does it cost to use the network?
Each project that uses the network must factor in the following costs in their budget: 

• Consultation on how the network can be utilized in the best way for that specific project. 
• Recruitment of general practitioners for the project.
• Facilitating the project for the general practitioners.
• Follow-up of the general practitioners.
• Compensation for the general practitioners for their time contributed to the projects, provided that it is the kind of project where the general practitioners will identify and invite potential candidates to participate in the project. If the project requires inclusion by physical attendance/follow-up/testing at the general practitioner’s office, there will be estimated a cost for the time allocated for this.
• Management and modifications of the infrastructure PraksisNett, so that the research project can be conducted in the best way possible.
• Regular updates and dialogue with the project management team, if needed.
• Finalevaluation.

The total cost for the research project will depend on the project’s size and source of funding. The research projects we have supported so far have varied in costs between 40.000NOK and up to more than 1.000.000NOK. Together with the researchers, the regional leader in PraksisNett will estimate the costs for each project and help make a budget. 

For projects conducted by commercial entities specific rules apply requiring the project owner to cover all costs associated with using PraksisNett.

Click here to send us a request for your GP office to join PraksisNett (form in Norwegian).

As a GP in PraksisNett, you commit to the following:

• At the request of PraksisNett, continuously consider inviting your patients to research projects that are carried out via PraksisNett.
• At the request of PraksisNett, participate in at least one research project annually (if there are available projects).
• Be joint controller with a researcher in connection with recruitment for a given study, cf. Article 26 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
• Fulfil patients' rights in accordance with Chapter 3 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

By joining PraksisNett, you as a GP contribute to new knowledge that will benefit you and your patients.

Why have we established PraksisNett – The Norwegian Primary Care Research Network?
Our aim is to make it easier to recruit patients in general practice (GP) for research projects. Researchers using PraksisNett will conduct research projects on issues that matter for these patients. We need research on patients to improve treatment.

What does it mean that a GP office is part of PraksisNett?
The GP offices that are part of PraksisNett have agreed to invite patients to participate in research projects. If you are eligible for a research project due to your current or past illness, your GP will contact you. After receiving information about the study, you are free to decide whether you want to participate. You will never be included in clinical studies without your written consent.

Participation in research studies is always voluntary. Your decision to participate, or not, will not affect the further treatment you receive from your GP.

Can I participate in a research study?
We want all patients to have the opportunity to participate in research studies. When a researcher recruits patients through PraksisNett, your GP assesses whether you are eligible for the study. This assessment will be based on the research project’s purpose and criteria for participation. Feel free to ask your GP if there are any studies you can participate in.

Why should I participate in a research study?
By participating in a study, you can help us gain valuable knowledge about your illness and effective treatments. This benefits not only you, but also patients with the same condition.

What happens to my patient data in PraksisNett?
No sensitive personal data will be collected without your explicit for a specific study. In special cases, however, the Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REK) may grant exemption from the requirement for consent (cf. the Health Personnel Act § 29, the Health Register Act § 19 e, and the Public Administration Act § 13 d). There are very strict requirements for such exemptions, and all projects will undergo a careful assessment by REK, a Data Protection Officer and the Management Board of PraksisNett. You can rest assured that no data in PraksisNett will remain secured and protected.

How is my personal data processed in research studies?
In studies conducted using PraksisNett, the GP's office and the researcher's institution are joint controllers responsible for processing data, cf. Article 26 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

In research projects, the GP processes personal information about you that she/he has already documented in your medical record, to find out if you are eligible for being invited to a study. The purpose of the GP's processing of personal data in this context, is to invite you or other patients to research studies. You can gain access to the information the GP has collected about you to see if you match the inclusion criterion in a specific research project, by contacting your GP. The GP will find an overview of this in the GP's IT system. It is only your GP that has access to this information.

If you agree to participate in a research study, the researcher responsible for the study will have access to the data that you give her/him permission to receive. In such cases, your data is transferred encrypted to a secure server to which no one other than authorized researchers have access. The purpose of the researcher's processing of personal data in this context is to use data to investigate one or more research questions in accordance with research protocols that the researcher has had approved by the Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REK). You can access the information the researcher has collected about you by contacting the researcher. The information will correspond with the data you have given your consent to being retrieved. The researcher is obliged to keep a record of this information in the researcher's account on a secure server. The researcher has sole responsibility as a data processor for data transferred from the GPs in PraksisNett and for data the researcher obtains with the consent of the patient.

Both GPs and researchers are obliged to fulfill your rights in accordance with Chapter 3 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Here you can read more about these rights.

Since PraksisNett is a data processor for both the doctors' offices and the researchers, PraksisNett has signed data processor agreements with the doctors' offices that are part of the network and with the institutions of the researchers who may use PraksisNett. PraksisNett has conducted and is annually conducting risk assessments for both the doctor's office and the researcher and has implemented satisfactory security measures. Please contact PraksisNett if you need more information.

Purpose
The Norwegian Primary Care Research Network (in Norwegian: PraksisNett) is a research infrastructure that provides a foundation for enhancing the quality of primary care research in Norway. The infrastructure facilitates recruitment of primary care patients to clinical studies and increases the power and predictability of these studies.

Initiators
PraksisNett is a joint national initiative by the primary care research communities at the partner institutions.

Funding source and partner institutions in PraksisNett
PraksisNett is a research infrastructure funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services and the partners. The partners are:

• University of Bergen (UiB)
• NORCE - Norwegian Research Centre
• University of Oslo (UiO)
• The Arctic University of Norway (UiT)
• Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

The network
The network consist of around 90 clinical practices in Norway spread over four regional networks. The PraksisNett staff in the regional networks is actively supporting the clinics during data collection.

The Coordinating Node is the first point of contact for researchers intending to use the network for their studies. It also acts as the receiving point for research project applications to the network.

The Project Management Board assesses all applications. Research projects are prioritised based on quality, relevance and feasibility.

Research articles

Julie Domen, Rune Aabenhus, Anca Balan, Emily Bongard, Femke Böhmer, Valerija Bralić Lang, Pascale Bruno, Slawomir Chlabicz, Annelies Colliers, Ana García-Sangenís, Hrachuhi Ghazaryan, Anna Kowalczyk, Siri Jensen, Christos Lionis, Tycho M van der Linde, Lile Malania, Jozsef Pauer, Angela Tomacinschii, Akke Vellinga, Ihor Zastavnyy, Herman Goossens, Christopher C Butler, Alike W van der Velden and Samuel Coenen (2025): 
The effect of a GP’s perception of a patient request for antibiotics on antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections: secondary analysis of a point-prevalence audit survey in 18 European countries. 
BJGP Open 2025; 9 (2): BJGPO.2024.0166

Bjørn Bjorvatn, Ragnhild Stokke Lundetræ, Øystein Vedaa, Ståle Pallesen & Linn Nyjordet Evanger (2025):
A randomized controlled trial comparing sleep hygiene advice with a self-help book focusing on cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia: a study among patients with prescribed hypnotics from the GP.
Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care

Bjorvatn, B., Waage, S., Emberland, K. E., Litleskare, S., Rebnord, I. K., Forthun, I., & Rortveit, G. (2024).
The associations between different types of infections and circadian preference and shift work.
Chronobiology international, 41(2), 259–266. 

Ingeborg Forthun, Guri Rørtveit, Guro Haugen Fossum, Pål Jørgensen, Peder A. Halvorsen,  Stein Nilsen, Jørund Straand, Johan Gustav Bellika, Bjørn Bjorvatn.(2023). 
Søvnforstyrrelser og forskrivning av hypnotika i allmennpraksis – en PraksisNett-studie.
SØVN(1), 11-15.

Landrø NI, Harmer CJ, Blackwell SE, Bø R, Dawson G, Goodwin G, Hagen HS, Kingslake J, Klovning A, Klungsøyr O, Schjøtt-Pedersen O, Sæther AK, Torgersen KS, Vaaler A, Andreassen OA, Røssberg JI.
Combining antidepressants and attention bias modification in primary health care (DEPTREAT): Protocol for a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2023 Oct;133:107326. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2023.107326. Epub 2023 Aug 29. PMID: 37652355.

Bjørn Bjorvatn, Guri Rørtveit, Ingrid Rebnord, Siri Waage, Knut Erik Emberland, Ingeborg Forthun.(2023).
Self-reported short and long sleep duration, sleep debt and insomnia are associated with several types of infections: Results from the Norwegian practice-based research network in general practice - PraksisNett. 
Sleep Medicine: X 5 (2023) 100074 

Espen Saxhaug Kristoffersen, Bjørn Bjorvatn, Peder Andreas Halvorsen, Stein Nilsen, Guro Haugen Fossum, Egil A. Fors, Pål Jørgensen, Berit Øxnevad-Gundersen, Svein Gjelstad, Johan Gustav Bellika, Jørund Straand & Guri Rørtveit.(2022). 
The Norwegian PraksisNett: a nationwide practice-based research network with a novel IT infrastructure. 
Scand J Prim Health Care. 2022 Jun;40(2):217-226.

Ekeberg OM, Pedersen SJ, Natvig B, Brox JI, Biringer EK, Endresen Reme S, Engebretsen KB, Joranger P, Mdala I, Juel NG.(2022). 
Making shoulder pain simple in general practice: implementing an evidence-based guideline for shoulder pain, protocol for a hybrid design stepped-wedge cluster randomised study (EASIER study) 
BMJ Open. 2022 Jan 7;12(1):e051656.

Grøvle L, Hasvik E, Holst R, Haugen AJ. NSAIDs in sciatica (NIS):
Study protocol for an investigator-initiated multicentre, randomized placebo-controlled trial of naproxen in patients with sciatica. Trials. 2022 Jun 14;23(1):493. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06441-3. PMID: 35701830; PMCID: PMC9194344.

Alike van der Velden, Alma C van de Pol, Emily Bongard, Daniela Cianci, Rune Aabenhus, Anca Balan, Femke Böhmer, Valerija Bralic Lang, Pascale Bruno, Slawomir Chlabicz, Samuel Coenen, Annelies Colliers, Anna Garcia-Sangenis, Hrachuhi Ghazaryan, Maciek Godycki-Cwirko, Siri Jensen, Christos Lionis, Sanne R van der Linde, Lile Malania, Jozsef Pauer, Angela Tomacinschii, Akke Vellinga, Ihor Zastavnyy, Susanne Emmerich, Adam Zerda, Theo J Verheij, Herman Goossens and Christopher C Butler.(2022). 
Point of care testing, antibiotic prescribing and prescribing confidence for respiratory tract infections in primary care: Prospective audit in 18 European countries. 
BJGP Open 17 December 2021; BJGPO.2021.0212. 

Contributions, Commentaries, and Reviews

LMI (2025)
Helsedata er roten til mye godt
Legemiddelindustrien (2025)

Nilsen L. (2024)
PraksisNett ønsker seg flere allmennmedisinske prosjekter.
Utposten, 7. 

Johan Gustav Bellika, Bjørn Bjorvatn, Peder A. Halvorsen, Pål Jørgensen, Knut Erik Emberland, Guro Haugen Fossum, Jørund Straand.(2024).
Personvernet som fundament for fremtidens digitale helsevesen.
Dagens medisin 2024.

Nilsen L. (2024)
PraksisNett belønner Bystranda legesenter med pris
Den Norske Legeforening (2024)

Stangenes K., Bellika JG., Fossum GH., Emberland KE., Bjorvatn B. (2024)
PraksisNett gjør det enklere å rekruttere barn til forskning- aktuelt for ditt prosjekt?
Paidos–Tidsskrift for norsk Barnelegeforening, 44(3) 128-129.

Schei A. (2023)
Gjør det lettere å forske på «vanlige» pasienter
Khrono 2023

Nilsen L. (2022)
Forskerne sparer måneder og år på å bruke PraksisNett for å rekruttere fastleger til studier
Den Norske Legeforening 2022

Nilsen L.B. (2022)
NTNU-forsker vil kartlegge fastlegers oppfølging av gravide
Dagens Medisin (2022)

Nilsen S, Bjorvatn B, Kristoffersen ES.(2021). 
«PraksisNett – status etter tre år».
Utposten 2021; nr. 2: 18-20.

Nilsen L. (2020)
Prosjekter i kø til studier med fastlege-data
Den Norske Legeforening

Engelsen T.C. (2020)
Lite symptomer, mye bekymring (Om forskningsprosjektet CovidNor som brukte PraksisNett)
Forskning.no 2020

Bjorvatn B, Kristoffersen ES, Halvorsen PA, Fors EA, Nilsen S, Rørtveit G.(2019). 
«Ny infrastruktur for allmennmedisinsk forskning».
Tidsskrift for Den norske legeforening. Utgave 1, 15. januar 2019. Tidsskr Nor Legeforen 2019. doi: 10.4045/tidsskr.18.0689

Kalveland J. (2018)
Skal gjøre det enklere for fastleger å delta i forskning
Den Norske Legeforening 2018

Bjorvatn B, Straand J, Halvorsen P, Wensaas K-A, Bellika JG, Fors EA, Gjelstad S, Kristoffersen ES, Øxnevad-Gundersen B, Rørtveit G. (2018). 
«PraksisNett - et nettverk av fastlegepraksiser. En storsatsing på forskning i allmennpraksis».
Utposten 2018; nr. 4: 40-43.

Bordvik M. (2017)
Et taktskifte for primærhelse-forskning
Dagens Medisin 2017

Rørtveit G. (2017)
Fastlegene trenger også forskning! ...og det gjør pasientene deres også.
Dagbladet 2017

Rørtveit G. (2015)
Forskningsnettverk i allmennpraksis – hva er det, og trenger vi det?
Utposten 2015; nr. 4: 11-14

Annual report 2024 (In Norwegian)

Annual report 2023 (In Norwegian)

Status report 2018-2022 (In Norwegian)

• Inven2
• Medhjelper
• NorCRIN
• Research Unit for Health Surveys (RUHS) at the University of Bergen
• The Norwegian Association of General Practitioners
• The Norwegian College of General Practice