PBRI–Singburi Academy for Excellence in Primary Care: Integrating Academic Co-Creation and System Strengthening through a Provincial Living Laboratory in Thailand
1
Praboromarajchanok Institute, Meaung District, Nonthaburi, Thailand
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Primary health care (PHC) is vital for Universal Health Coverage and equity, yet gaps persist between education, research, policy, and practice. Global frameworks guide PHC, but integration into routine systems remains limited. Living laboratories offer a solution by embedding innovation in real-world contexts. Thailand’s PHC-oriented UHC system provides a unique setting. The Praboromarajchanok Institute (PBRI) established the PBRI–Singburi Academy for Excellence in Primary Care (PBRI–SingX), a provincial living lab integrating education, service, research, and policy across seven regions.
METHODS:
PBRI–SingX operates as a four-year (48-month) system-integrated living laboratory linking health professions education, primary care service delivery, and policy learning. The model comprises three interrelated components: (1) competency-based, team-based, and field-based PHC education; (2) implementation research focusing on workforce capability, leadership, and service integration; and (3) continuous learning and policy translation aligned with the WHO Primary Health Care framework. Singburi functions as a Center of Excellence and demonstration site, generating models and evidence for adaptation and scaling across PBRI’s seven educational regions. Longitudinal, participatory learning is embedded in routine practice, utilizing qualitative and mixed-methods implementation approaches.
RESULTS:
Early implementation shows stronger alignment between education and service delivery, improved leadership capacity, and generation of practice-based evidence for PHC scale-up. Competency-based curricula integrated with field learning enhanced continuity of care and patient satisfaction. Over 120 professionals completed leadership modules, boosting team decision-making and community engagement. Research identified barriers and enablers of PHC integration, with early data showing reduced non-urgent referrals and better chronic disease control. Policy dialogues produced draft guidelines on community participation and integrated care. Health literacy programs reached 5,000 residents, increasing trust and empowerment.
CONCLUSIONS:
The PBRI–Singburi Living Lab demonstrates how academic co-creation and system-embedded learning operationalize global PHC principles, offering scalable lessons for education, implementation, and policy in middle-income contexts.
Primary health care (PHC) is vital for Universal Health Coverage and equity, yet gaps persist between education, research, policy, and practice. Global frameworks guide PHC, but integration into routine systems remains limited. Living laboratories offer a solution by embedding innovation in real-world contexts. Thailand’s PHC-oriented UHC system provides a unique setting. The Praboromarajchanok Institute (PBRI) established the PBRI–Singburi Academy for Excellence in Primary Care (PBRI–SingX), a provincial living lab integrating education, service, research, and policy across seven regions.
METHODS:
PBRI–SingX operates as a four-year (48-month) system-integrated living laboratory linking health professions education, primary care service delivery, and policy learning. The model comprises three interrelated components: (1) competency-based, team-based, and field-based PHC education; (2) implementation research focusing on workforce capability, leadership, and service integration; and (3) continuous learning and policy translation aligned with the WHO Primary Health Care framework. Singburi functions as a Center of Excellence and demonstration site, generating models and evidence for adaptation and scaling across PBRI’s seven educational regions. Longitudinal, participatory learning is embedded in routine practice, utilizing qualitative and mixed-methods implementation approaches.
RESULTS:
Early implementation shows stronger alignment between education and service delivery, improved leadership capacity, and generation of practice-based evidence for PHC scale-up. Competency-based curricula integrated with field learning enhanced continuity of care and patient satisfaction. Over 120 professionals completed leadership modules, boosting team decision-making and community engagement. Research identified barriers and enablers of PHC integration, with early data showing reduced non-urgent referrals and better chronic disease control. Policy dialogues produced draft guidelines on community participation and integrated care. Health literacy programs reached 5,000 residents, increasing trust and empowerment.
CONCLUSIONS:
The PBRI–Singburi Living Lab demonstrates how academic co-creation and system-embedded learning operationalize global PHC principles, offering scalable lessons for education, implementation, and policy in middle-income contexts.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
