A prospective evaluation of the impact of the nurse practitioner role on emergency department service and outcomes. The local hospital emergency department (ED) is a prominent and highly utilised service in Australian communities but demand on EDs is increasing, resulting in significant service delays. This project will study the composition of ED clinical teams around Australia and their impact on improving the timeliness and quality of emergency clinical care.
Enhancing outcomes for separated families by improving family mediation. More than 100,000 adults and 60,000 children experience family breakdown each year in Australia, which wreaks enormous personal, social, and economic costs. This project aims to develop more effective ways to mediate disputes over shared parenting after family breakdown.
Using an audit with feedback knowledge translation intervention to promote safety and quality in health care. This project will refine, and assess the utility of, a tailored audit with feedback intervention to promote reporting of medication errors in the acute care setting. The project aim is to produce an intervention that has utility, is effective in promoting medication error reporting, and has potential for adaptation to other settings and areas of clinical risk.
Australia's Baby Boomer Generation, Obesity and Work - Patterns, Causes and Implications. In Australia's ageing crisis, baby boomers play a key role. Not only will they double the size of the aged population and its ratio to the workforce age group but the extent to which they remain in the workforce and their health will be crucial to future national productivity and prosperity. Baby Boomers have the highest level of obesity of any Australian age cohort and this threatens to seriously reduce ....Australia's Baby Boomer Generation, Obesity and Work - Patterns, Causes and Implications. In Australia's ageing crisis, baby boomers play a key role. Not only will they double the size of the aged population and its ratio to the workforce age group but the extent to which they remain in the workforce and their health will be crucial to future national productivity and prosperity. Baby Boomers have the highest level of obesity of any Australian age cohort and this threatens to seriously reduce their workforce participation and productivity and increase chronic disease incidence. There is a narrow closing window of opportunity for intervention which will reduce obesity and improve health and workforce outcomes.Read moreRead less
Obesity, Health, Social Disadvantage and Environment in Australia : Relationships and Policy Implications. The association between excess body fat and numerous health problems has been well documented. The significant increase in the proportion of Australians obese and overweight in the last 20 years has important implications for the well being of Australians and the costs of the health system. Developing effective policies to reverse this trend is dependant upon achieving better understandin ....Obesity, Health, Social Disadvantage and Environment in Australia : Relationships and Policy Implications. The association between excess body fat and numerous health problems has been well documented. The significant increase in the proportion of Australians obese and overweight in the last 20 years has important implications for the well being of Australians and the costs of the health system. Developing effective policies to reverse this trend is dependant upon achieving better understanding of the inter-related social, economic, environmental and medical causes of obesity and its effects. This study seeks to extend this understanding through innovative analysis of a unique survey of 4,000 adults in northwestern Adelaide and develop recommendations for effective policy intervention.Read moreRead less
Integrated depression management: a trial of a new model of care in a low vision rehabilitation setting. The project will integrate depression management into Vision Australia services and evaluate the impact of this new model of care. We anticipate that this new approach will lead to sustained improvements in clients’ quality of life.
Building economic development through psychosocial intervention. This project is the first study that reduces poverty and increases productivity in a post-conflict country by addressing the psychosocial problems that impede the capacity of a workforce to effectively learn and apply skills. Although conducted in Aceh, Indonesia, these findings may show how to reduce poverty in all countries affected by conflict.
Examining the complexity of communication processes across transition points from the emergency department to improve medication safety. Problems in communication contribute significantly to adverse events that lead to serious harm for Australian consumers. Recent data show medication errors account for over 25% of all adverse events, while over 50% of consumers who move across transition points have medication errors relating to their treatment regimen. Financial costs from adverse events are e ....Examining the complexity of communication processes across transition points from the emergency department to improve medication safety. Problems in communication contribute significantly to adverse events that lead to serious harm for Australian consumers. Recent data show medication errors account for over 25% of all adverse events, while over 50% of consumers who move across transition points have medication errors relating to their treatment regimen. Financial costs from adverse events are estimated at around $A2billion/year, which are likely to increase with further complexities involving consumer care. This study will result in new knowledge about communication processes to inform the development of reporting methods and strategies, which positively influence the practices of health professionals in managing medications as consumers move across different environments.Read moreRead less
Preventing Adverse Events in Hospitals. Our research will construct strategies and tools for preventing hospital adverse events and should develop knowledge and expertise about reducing care complications in high risk patients.This research has collaborating partners which are hospitals in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. These form part of the preventative healthcare network with implications for the nation's social and economic fabric through their role in reducing morbidity, mortali ....Preventing Adverse Events in Hospitals. Our research will construct strategies and tools for preventing hospital adverse events and should develop knowledge and expertise about reducing care complications in high risk patients.This research has collaborating partners which are hospitals in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. These form part of the preventative healthcare network with implications for the nation's social and economic fabric through their role in reducing morbidity, mortality and supporting the health of all Australians. Since acquired complications have comparable costs to the healthcare system as that of all other forms of injury combined, there will be substantial benefits to hospitals through reduced costs.Read moreRead less
A Public Health Framework of Effectiveness: Evaluating the Framework for Telephone Counselling. The demand for telephone counselling is strong and while this form of counselling has face validity, there is no substantive research into its effectiveness for clients. This project aims to adapt the public health model to evaluate processes and outcomes of Lifeline - a generic telephone counselling service in Melbourne. The public health model of effectiveness, will, in turn, also be evaluated.