Using Big Data To Reduce Inappropriate Medication Use
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Potentially inappropriate medication use both increases patient harm and wastes considerable health resources. However methods for measuring patterns of use are not well developed nor utilised in policy. This research will measure the scope, variation and burden of potentially inappropriate medication use in Australia. My unique combination of biostatistical, data and policy expertise will enable this research to create new actionable tools for evaluating the Australian healthcare system.
Lung disease is a major cause of death and disability world-wide. Tuberculosis was responsible for 1.4 million deaths in 2011. Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been high priority diseases in Australia for many years. It was estimated that there were over 3 million deaths attributable to particulate air pollution in 2010. In this Fellowship I will undertake a series of projects designed to improve our understanding of these diseases and their causes.
Latent variable modelling of discrete choice experiments. Discrete choice experiments and models are used to forecast consumer responses to changes in products policies and programs worldwide. Recent research suggests key model assumptions are violated because error variances covary with observed and unobserved factors. In order to address this, we will model systematic relationships between error variances and observed (eg, prices, survey length) and unobserved (eg, 'convenience', 'reputation') ....Latent variable modelling of discrete choice experiments. Discrete choice experiments and models are used to forecast consumer responses to changes in products policies and programs worldwide. Recent research suggests key model assumptions are violated because error variances covary with observed and unobserved factors. In order to address this, we will model systematic relationships between error variances and observed (eg, prices, survey length) and unobserved (eg, 'convenience', 'reputation') factors to improve model reliability and accuracy. This should lead to more accurate models/forecasts, benefitting business and government, which addresses the national priority of 'frontier technologies, promoting an innovative culture and economy'.Read moreRead less
The role of households, neighbourhoods and networks in social statistics. Many issues affect the social progress of the country. Social research can determine the factors affecting issues such as unemployment, poverty, educational attainment, crime victimization and poor health. Survey and other data are used extensively to examine these conditions and their association with attributes of people. This project will provide methods to better determine the impact of effects associated with the h ....The role of households, neighbourhoods and networks in social statistics. Many issues affect the social progress of the country. Social research can determine the factors affecting issues such as unemployment, poverty, educational attainment, crime victimization and poor health. Survey and other data are used extensively to examine these conditions and their association with attributes of people. This project will provide methods to better determine the impact of effects associated with the household structure and other groups and social networks. The improved ability to assess the impact of these factors will have economic and social benefits. These benefits will arise from improved analysis leading to better decisions and improvements in the design of research studies improving their cost efficiency.Read moreRead less
Poor Women and Lonely Men: Examining Gendered Social Inclusion and Connection in Australia. This project directly supports the national research priority goal of 'strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric' (as part of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health). Inclusive societies reap many benefits (economic, education, crime, health etc), and information revealed about relevant gendered patterns will help build social inclusion and connection in Australia by informing inclusive strategi ....Poor Women and Lonely Men: Examining Gendered Social Inclusion and Connection in Australia. This project directly supports the national research priority goal of 'strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric' (as part of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health). Inclusive societies reap many benefits (economic, education, crime, health etc), and information revealed about relevant gendered patterns will help build social inclusion and connection in Australia by informing inclusive strategies and policies. The project also supports the national research priority goal 'ageing well and productively', by informing policy-contexts of specific disadvantage, such as amongst those ageing alone. The project will also add to broader understandings about the links between social inclusion, connection and wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Establishing Breastfeeding: an analysis of the language and practices used by midwives and lactation consultants when interacting with new mothers. Breastfeeding confers extensive health benefits for infants and women, and social and economic benefits for Australian society. Studies indicate that although 80 to 90 percent of women initiate breastfeeding, approximately 25% cease within the first six weeks. It is estimated that if the prevalence of breastfeeding at three months post-birth increase ....Establishing Breastfeeding: an analysis of the language and practices used by midwives and lactation consultants when interacting with new mothers. Breastfeeding confers extensive health benefits for infants and women, and social and economic benefits for Australian society. Studies indicate that although 80 to 90 percent of women initiate breastfeeding, approximately 25% cease within the first six weeks. It is estimated that if the prevalence of breastfeeding at three months post-birth increased from 60% to 80%, a saving of at least $11.5 million would be made to the Australian health system. This study will provide knowledge about the impact of health professionals' practices on women's infant-feeding decisions, identifying effective components of professional support to inform interventions that increase breastfeeding durationRead moreRead less
Modelling the Choices of Individuals. Individuals make decisions daily and some of these decisions have wide-reaching and long-term consequences, such as choices among housing, public transport, electoral candidates and health care options. The principal aim of this project is to develop reliable and valid ways to model individual level choice processes. Once completed, this will provide insights into ways to aggregate sampled observations when population-level applications are required, and all ....Modelling the Choices of Individuals. Individuals make decisions daily and some of these decisions have wide-reaching and long-term consequences, such as choices among housing, public transport, electoral candidates and health care options. The principal aim of this project is to develop reliable and valid ways to model individual level choice processes. Once completed, this will provide insights into ways to aggregate sampled observations when population-level applications are required, and allow us to compare and test several competing theories of choice behaviour. This will enable us to make contributions to understanding and modelling human decision making in many fields ranging from marketing to medicine.Read moreRead less
Promoting ethical non-violent relationships of young women and men. The research aims to contribute to the prevention of sexual violence between young women and men aged 16-25years to promote their ability to live healthy, productive and fulfilling lives. It will provide a multidisciplinary approach to developing an evaluated educational training programme based on young people's experiences of sexual intimacy, sexuality and anti-violence education, delivery of a training programme in three rura ....Promoting ethical non-violent relationships of young women and men. The research aims to contribute to the prevention of sexual violence between young women and men aged 16-25years to promote their ability to live healthy, productive and fulfilling lives. It will provide a multidisciplinary approach to developing an evaluated educational training programme based on young people's experiences of sexual intimacy, sexuality and anti-violence education, delivery of a training programme in three rural and metropolitan sites and follow up interviews with young people six months after completion of the course.The findings of the research will inform policy makers, educators and community organisations working with young women and men.Read moreRead less
Experiences of addiction, treatment and recovery: An online resource for members of the public, health professionals and policymakers. Alcohol and other drug addiction is a major health and social issue in Australia. Treatment success rates are modest and little is known about how people experience and manage addiction and the stigma that accompanies it. This project will generate new knowledge on alcohol and other drug addiction by applying a proven qualitative methodology to these issues for t ....Experiences of addiction, treatment and recovery: An online resource for members of the public, health professionals and policymakers. Alcohol and other drug addiction is a major health and social issue in Australia. Treatment success rates are modest and little is known about how people experience and manage addiction and the stigma that accompanies it. This project will generate new knowledge on alcohol and other drug addiction by applying a proven qualitative methodology to these issues for the first time. It will produce an effective, innovative online resource for affected Australians, their family and friends, and the wider Australian community including health professionals and policymakers.Read moreRead less
LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF BEHAVIOUR AND EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS IN YOUNG PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$761,790.00
Summary
Families caring for young people with intellectual disabilities face major burdens of care if the young person also has serious behaviour problems. These behaviour problems are also costly for our community. This project is intended to assist young people and their carers by providing new information about the factors contributing to these behaviour problems and how they develop over time. The project makes use of an internationally unique follow up study which has followed a group of young peop ....Families caring for young people with intellectual disabilities face major burdens of care if the young person also has serious behaviour problems. These behaviour problems are also costly for our community. This project is intended to assist young people and their carers by providing new information about the factors contributing to these behaviour problems and how they develop over time. The project makes use of an internationally unique follow up study which has followed a group of young people aged 4-18 for the last eight years. The young people are now entering a critical age band facing many changes in their lives such as the possibility of independent living, work challenges, as well as a search for new social relationships and day activities in the post-school period. Also they face increased risk for mental health problems which most commonly emerge in this age group, particularly psychosis and depression. This project promises to determine how the young people cope with these challenges and what steps our community needs to make to assist them and their families to reach an optimal adjustment.Read moreRead less