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A Parent Education And Skills Training Intervention For Young Adolescents With Autism
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$436,500.00
Summary
Autism is a most severe and prevalent lifelong developmental disorder affecting approximately one in every thousand children and their families. Autism is associated with personal suffering and is a significant burden and stress for parents, families and carers and cost to the community. In earlier work we have demonstrated that providing a structured program of parent education and guidance to families with preschool children with autism leads to improved parental adjustment and mental health. ....Autism is a most severe and prevalent lifelong developmental disorder affecting approximately one in every thousand children and their families. Autism is associated with personal suffering and is a significant burden and stress for parents, families and carers and cost to the community. In earlier work we have demonstrated that providing a structured program of parent education and guidance to families with preschool children with autism leads to improved parental adjustment and mental health. The program also led to behavioural and developmental benefits for the child. The early secondary school years bring further stress and difficulty to adolescents with autism and their families. This project aims to assess the effectiveness of a parent education and training program for parents with autistic adolescents aged 12-14 years. If shown to be effective, this manual based intervention can be readily used by professionals to promote parent mental health, family adjustment and improve the wellbeing and outcome for adolescents with autism. As a result, family stress and the necessity of out of home care may be reduced and school participation improved.Read moreRead less
Determination Of Irradiation Dose Efficacy For Use In Impaction Grafting At Revision Joint Replacement
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$411,517.00
Summary
Primary hip replacement is a successful intervention for hip disease, but 10-15% of hip prostheses fail and require revision surgery within 10-15 years. At the time of revision, significant bone loss around the failed prosthesis is not uncommon. A bone reconstruction procedure, called impaction grafting, where donor bone is minced and placed in the areas of deficient bone before implanting the new prosthesis, has shown to give good results at more than ten years in some centres. A high incidence ....Primary hip replacement is a successful intervention for hip disease, but 10-15% of hip prostheses fail and require revision surgery within 10-15 years. At the time of revision, significant bone loss around the failed prosthesis is not uncommon. A bone reconstruction procedure, called impaction grafting, where donor bone is minced and placed in the areas of deficient bone before implanting the new prosthesis, has shown to give good results at more than ten years in some centres. A high incidence of early complications of this procedure have included loss of fixation within the bone. Fracture of the bone around prostheses has also reported in some centres. These events require more surgery, putting the patient at higher risk greater complications and longer rehabilitations. Recent improvements in surgical technique and donor bone preparation have improved results. A current debate questions whether the dose of irradiation can be reduced from 25 kGy, while maintaining sterility of allografts. The risk of bacterial contamination in allografts is low, and irradiation reduces the mechanical strength of the graft, contributing to complications when irradiated bone is used. The benefits of decontaminating the bone may be outweighed by the higher risk for failure due to poor bone quality and resulting prosthesis instability. We will use ISO standards to test the validity of radiation dose for sterilising bone ex vivo. In the absence of controlled human studies, our aim is also to compare the results of impaction grafting with non-irradiated bone versus bone irradiated at current doses used by Australian bone banks, and lower doses indicated by ex vivo testing. We will use a large animal model of revision hip replacement, with precise measures of prosthesis stability. The results of this study will guide clinical decisions regarding the efficacy of current bone graft preparation procedures and the use of irradiated bone in human hip replacement surgery.Read moreRead less
Shared Team Approach Between Nurses And Doctors For Improved Risk Factor Management (STAND FIRM)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,945,676.00
Summary
There are many proven treatments for preventing people with stroke from having a recurrent event, e.g. maintaining blood pressure at acceptable levels. However, uptake of therapies is poor. We will assess whether patients receiving individualised management plans, prepared and administered by both doctors and nurses will have risk factors controlled better than those receiving usual care. The plan includes education of patients to help them have more control over their own care.
Impact Of An Infant Sleep Intervention On Infant Sleep And Maternal Wellbeing: A Cluster Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$205,500.00
Summary
Infant sleep problems and postnatal depression are common in the Australian community. Over a third of Australians report a problem with their infant's sleep in the second six months of life whilst 10-15% of Australian women will experience an episode of depression in the first year after their child is born. Both infant sleep problems and postnatal depression have been associated with serious outcomes including child abuse, child behaviour problems, maternal physical and emotional problems, fam ....Infant sleep problems and postnatal depression are common in the Australian community. Over a third of Australians report a problem with their infant's sleep in the second six months of life whilst 10-15% of Australian women will experience an episode of depression in the first year after their child is born. Both infant sleep problems and postnatal depression have been associated with serious outcomes including child abuse, child behaviour problems, maternal physical and emotional problems, family stress and family breakdown. This study builds on previous work conducted by researchers at the Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. In this work, a brief behavioural intervention significantly decreased infant sleep problems and symptoms of maternal depression, particularly for depressed mothers. The intervention consisted of controlled crying and removal of sleep associations such as a dummy which the infant had become dependent upon to fall asleep. Mothers who received the intervention reported 20% fewer sleep problems and a 45% reduction in depression symptoms compared with mothers who did not receive the intervention. The interention also improved maternal sleep quality and quantity and reduced the need for professional sleep services. It was acceptable to mothers, of low cost and was minimally disruptive to families - in contrast to many current strategies directed primarily at postnatal depression. This trial aims to determine whther a similar intervention delivered by Victorian Maternal and Child health nurses within their usual practice settings can replicate these important benefits.Read moreRead less
The Risks And Benefits Of Contemporary Total Hip Replacement
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$493,530.00
Summary
The number of hip replacements undertaken in Australia is steadily increasing. The most common complications of hip replacements are dislocation and loosening due to bone loss around the implant, requiring complex and expensive revision surgery. This study will investigate the incidence of dislocation and, using a new diagnostic imaging technique, the incidence and amount of bone loss around a relatively new prosthetic material, the outcomes of which are not known despite its increasing use.
A Randomised Controlled Trial Of A Nurse-led Intervention For Less Chronic Heart Failure: The NIL-CHF Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,166,160.00
Summary
The overall aim of the unique NIL-CHF Study is to examine the benefits of applying a specialist nurse-led, home and clinic-based intervention to optimise the care of recently discharged hospital patients with heart disease. Involving 950 patients, it will explore whether more flexible and individualised care to apply the best possible medical treatments is able to PREVENT the most deadly and disabling form of heart disease (chronic heart failure - CHF) and save money in the process.