Increasing Global Equity In Access To End-stage Kidney Disease Care Through Better Peritoneal Dialysis Affordability, Practice, Quality And Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,511,960.00
Summary
Kidney disease is a growing problem worldwide and places an enormous burden on patients and their families. People with kidney disease are more likely to die, get cancer, have heart problems and have poor mental and emotional health than the general population. This program of research aims to consult widely with patients and their families and build on previous research knowledge to bring better evidence for therapies to improve the lives of people living with kidney disease.
Client Centred Palliative Rehabilitation: An Evaluation Of Its Efficacy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$90,570.00
Summary
�I don�t want to sit here waiting to die�. Many people towards end of life want their palliative care to continue to be rehabilitative as well as supportive, yet no study to formally evaluate the effectiveness of a patient-centred palliative rehabilitation program has been conducted in Australia. This study aims to identify patient and carer-centred rehabilitation goals such as independence in self care, and develop, trial and evaluate a rehabilitation program to address these goals. The program ....�I don�t want to sit here waiting to die�. Many people towards end of life want their palliative care to continue to be rehabilitative as well as supportive, yet no study to formally evaluate the effectiveness of a patient-centred palliative rehabilitation program has been conducted in Australia. This study aims to identify patient and carer-centred rehabilitation goals such as independence in self care, and develop, trial and evaluate a rehabilitation program to address these goals. The program would be transfer stage conditions such as cancer, cardiac or renal failure.Read moreRead less
Needs Based Palliative Care: Development And Evaluation Of A Consumer Toolkit
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$68,500.00
Summary
People with advanced cancer and their caregivers may have a range of unmet physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs. Unfortunately, not everybody receives the type of help they need with these issues, or at the time they most need it. Our study will develop and trial a strategy aimed at helping patients and their caregivers to identify their own levels of unmet needs and to communicate these to their health care team, to improve needs-based palliative care.
Which Heart Failure Intervention Is Most Cost-effective And Consumer Friendly In Reducing Hospital Care: The Which
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$921,640.00
Summary
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a costly, debilitating and deadly condition that has reached near epidemic proportions in Australia. In the absence of a permanent cure for CHF, the number of people affected by CHF has risen beyond 350,000 and is expected to increase by 20-30% in the next 20 years. We recently reviewed the benefits of applying nurse-led, CHF management programs (CHF-MPs) to typically old and fragile patients, in whom recurrent hospital admissions and a premature death are common. ....Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a costly, debilitating and deadly condition that has reached near epidemic proportions in Australia. In the absence of a permanent cure for CHF, the number of people affected by CHF has risen beyond 350,000 and is expected to increase by 20-30% in the next 20 years. We recently reviewed the benefits of applying nurse-led, CHF management programs (CHF-MPs) to typically old and fragile patients, in whom recurrent hospital admissions and a premature death are common. We confirmed the results of pioneering Australian research that CHF-MPs dramatically improve health outcomes in CHF. CHF-MPs now form part of the recommended gold-standard management of CHF. However, we also have evidence that only a small proportion of patients are exposed to a CHF-MP in Australia. Residual issues such as consumer preference and the cost of applying these programs are hindering their wide-spread application. The WHICH? Study addresses this _road block� to implementing a potentially valuable health care service by tackling a number of critical issues: which form of CHF-MP (home or specialist clinic-based follow-up), will produce the best health outcomes, save the most money and meet the needs of consumers at the same time? To answer this question, we will undertake a randomised, head-to-head study of a home versus clinic-based CHF-MP, in 1000 recently hospitalised CHF patients recruited from SA, VIC, NSW and QLD. Patterns and of health care and consumer preferences and quality of life will then be compared for these two different forms of CHF-MP from a combined health economic, health policy and consumer perspective to determine the best form of CHF-MP to be applied. A _consensus� vision for applying an Australia-wide service will then be developed. The potential impact of the results of the study will then be modelled on the status of Australian CHF-MPs in the year 2010 and a blue-print for action devised.Read moreRead less
The Evidence-based Consumer: Making Informed Decisions About Menopause, Hormone Replacement And Complementary Therapies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$97,750.00
Summary
This project aims to find out whether providing women with information about menopause, and therapies to treat the symptoms and effects of menopause will change their use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or complementary therapies. A menopause information kit or brochure(s) with information about the risks and benefits of therapies and treatments for the symptoms and effects of menopause, will be provided to a group of women between the ages of 40 and 64 years. The information will be based ....This project aims to find out whether providing women with information about menopause, and therapies to treat the symptoms and effects of menopause will change their use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or complementary therapies. A menopause information kit or brochure(s) with information about the risks and benefits of therapies and treatments for the symptoms and effects of menopause, will be provided to a group of women between the ages of 40 and 64 years. The information will be based on up-to-date medical evidence about conventional HRT along with evidence about complementary therapies such as wild yam cream and herbal medicines. The information will outline the risks and benefits of these and other therapies as well as the proper use of HRT to control symptoms and effects of menopause. Current knowledge about reduction in heart disease risk and prevention of osteoporosis with the use of HRT, and the current knowledge about risk of ovarian, breast and uterine cancer will also be included in the information kit or brochure(s). The sample of women living in the Southern metropolitan region of South Australia will be included in the trial. They will be asked to complete a questionnaire and then some of the women will be asked to study the information about menopause and HRT. All participants will be asked to complete further questionnaires 3 months and 12 months later. The results will show whether providing women with information about menopause, HRT and complementary therapy will result in: 1. the women being more informed and better equipped to make the right decisions about treatment of the symptoms and effects of menopause, and 2. a more appropriate use of hormone replacement and complementary therapies to meet the individual needs of the women.Read moreRead less
Cancer Trials Australia-OnLine: A Tool For Cancer Patients To Find Open Clinical Trials And Consider Trial Participation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$525,604.00
Summary
We will develop and evaluate a website for consumers which will interface with the ACTR to provide up to date information on currently recruiting cancer trials. Aims are: a) to increase awareness of cancer trials, and facilitate discussion between doctors and patients about participation in a clinical trial, and b) to support cancer consumers to make an informed decision about enrolling in a trial. A randomized trial will assess the effectiveness of the site in achieving these aims.
This national research centre uniquely combines two recent advances in rehabilitation, applies them to rehabilitation of acquired communication disorder (aphasia) and translates them into a clear pathway for clinical management of people with aphasia. This cell to society research program integrates a consumer's perspective into research in the relearning of lost skills after injury. The resulting Australian Aphasia Clinical Pathway will enable and ensure best practice in aphasia services.