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Randomised Controlled Trial Of Multimedia Patient Education Approaches To Preventing In-hospital Falls
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$524,137.00
Summary
In hospital falls are one of the most frequently occurring adverse events in Australian hospitals. They are the cause of considerable patient morbidity, stress to family members and care givers, and health care resource use. However, there are many potential causes of in-hospital falls which has made minimising them a difficult task for hospitals around the country. Recent evidence has indicated that a patient intervention strategy is useful for preventing in-hospital falls as a part of a multi- ....In hospital falls are one of the most frequently occurring adverse events in Australian hospitals. They are the cause of considerable patient morbidity, stress to family members and care givers, and health care resource use. However, there are many potential causes of in-hospital falls which has made minimising them a difficult task for hospitals around the country. Recent evidence has indicated that a patient intervention strategy is useful for preventing in-hospital falls as a part of a multi-factorial falls prevention program. This research aims to investigate the effectiveness and economic benefit of two approaches to providing patient education for the prevention of in-hospital falls. Patients at high risk for falls will be recruited from the Princess Alexandra Hospital and be randomly allocated to either a DVD + 4 sessions of face-to-face education with an occupational therapist program, to a DVD alone education program, or to a usual care with no additional education control condition. Patients will be followed up until their discharge from hospital and the number of in-hospital falls they incur will be compared between groups. It is expected that both the DVD + 4 sessions of face-to-face education with an occupational therapist program, to a DVD alone education program will be effective in reducing falls and that the DVD alone education program will demonstrate the greater cost-effectiveness in reducing falls. Stemming from this research, it is anticipated that a cost-effective resource for preventing in-hospital falls will be developed and evaluated such that it can be used in hospitals Australia wide.Read moreRead less
A Computer Simulation Model For The Evaluation Of Interventions For The Management Of Type 2 Diabetes In Austral
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$334,505.00
Summary
Diabetes imposes a heavy personal, societal and financial burden in Australia and this is predicted to increase over time. It has been estimated that one million people in Australia have diabetes and the annual cost of diabetes care is in the order of 3 billion dollars. Many studies show that the current quality of diabetes care in Australia is sub-optimal and therefore decisions must be made about prioritizing the allocation of limited resources to correct these deficiencies. This project invol ....Diabetes imposes a heavy personal, societal and financial burden in Australia and this is predicted to increase over time. It has been estimated that one million people in Australia have diabetes and the annual cost of diabetes care is in the order of 3 billion dollars. Many studies show that the current quality of diabetes care in Australia is sub-optimal and therefore decisions must be made about prioritizing the allocation of limited resources to correct these deficiencies. This project involves building a computer simulation model to inform clinicians and assist policy makers in the efficient allocation of resources to improve the quality of diabetes care in Australia.Read moreRead less
The IDEAL Trial - Initiating Dialysis Early And Late
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$752,500.00
Summary
Kidney replacement therapy by dialysis has in the past been provided for patients with endstage renal failure once their remaining kidney function has deterioriated to less than 5-10% of normal. There has been an increasing trend in recent years to offer dialysis therapy at an earlier stage of kidney failure, such that more than 20% of dialysis patients in Australia (and up to 35% in some subgroups) now commence that therapy when their remaining kidney function is greater than 10%. This change h ....Kidney replacement therapy by dialysis has in the past been provided for patients with endstage renal failure once their remaining kidney function has deterioriated to less than 5-10% of normal. There has been an increasing trend in recent years to offer dialysis therapy at an earlier stage of kidney failure, such that more than 20% of dialysis patients in Australia (and up to 35% in some subgroups) now commence that therapy when their remaining kidney function is greater than 10%. This change has occurred because of the unproven belief that earlier dialysis may be associated with a better health outcome. However, dialysis treatment is associated with complications and it is very expensive. Therefore, it is important to determine the health and economic consequences of commencing dialysis early rather than late. The IDEAL trial (Initiating Dialysis Early And Late) is a large multi-centre study being conducted in many renal units in Australia and New Zealand, which will determine whether it is better, in terms of health outcomes and total cost of treatment, to commence dialysis at a time when remaining kidney function is between 10 and 14% or between 5 and 7% of normal.Read moreRead less
Benefit Measurement For Health Economic Evaluation And Its Application To Priority Health Programs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$841,318.00
Summary
The aims of the project are (i) the identification and measurement of the social costs and benefits relevant to the economic evaluation of health services, specifically in the areas of depression, obesity, tobacco consumption, and vision impairment, where relevance is informed by community expectations and values; (ii) the development and validation of new techniques for measuring these costs and benefits; and (iii) an evaluation of the extent to which health systems meet their goals.
Improving The Surgical Outcomes For Barretts-derived Oesophageal Adenocarcinoma Through Early Detection.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$796,144.00
Summary
Some people with severe reflux develop Barrett's oesophagus, which puts them at high risk of developing cancer. Patients with Barrett's can be monitored by regular endoscopy to detect cancer early enough so that they can be treated successfully with surgery. The aim of this work is to identify patients who are at highest risk of cancer using molecular biomarkers. We will then determine the cost effectiveness of using biomarkers for surveillance of patients with Barrett's oesophagus.
Cost-effectiveness Analysis Of Systems-based Factors For The Treatment Of Acute Coronary Syndrome
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$175,554.00
Summary
There is good evidence on the best way to manage patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS), but uptake of best practice remains limited. Systems-based factors, such as processes to increase use of clinical guidelines, or staffing levels in cardiac wards, may be important. An audit of 400 hospitals in Australia and New Zealand will be used to estimate the costs and benefits of alternative systems-based factors, which will identify the best approaches to improving quality of care for ACS.
Application Of Discrete Choice Experiments To Value Multi-attribute Health States For Use In Economic Evaluation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,369.00
Summary
Economic evaluation is used increasingly by health care decision makers to decide which health care programs provide the best value for money, in terms of improving health and quality of life outcomes for the population. It is used by the Australian government in deciding which medical services and pharmaceuticals should be funded. This requires measurement of quality of life in a way that allows comparison across treatments, and a means of quantifying community preferences for different health ....Economic evaluation is used increasingly by health care decision makers to decide which health care programs provide the best value for money, in terms of improving health and quality of life outcomes for the population. It is used by the Australian government in deciding which medical services and pharmaceuticals should be funded. This requires measurement of quality of life in a way that allows comparison across treatments, and a means of quantifying community preferences for different health states (that is, how we value health outcomes). Health outcomes are often valued using the quality adjusted life year (QALY) which combines length and quality of life in a single measure. To compare across diseases and treatments, quality of life must be measured in the same way. This can be done by using a standard set of questions that cover the different aspects of quality of life (eg pain, mobility, emotional state). In this way, a single survey instrument can be used for any disease or outcome of treatment. We can also use the same instrument to ask members of the public to provide information about their preferences for different health states (that is how they value health outcomes). However, obtaining this information from respondents is complex, and there is debate about which are the best instruments, and the best methods to value health outcomes. In this research, we propose a new approach to valuing health states, which is easier to administer and which allows for more detailed and rigorous analysis of the responses people give, to provide better models of how the different aspects of quality of life are combined in valuing health outcomes. We will compare the new method with the main existing methods. We will compare these methods for two standard quality of life instruments that are widely used in health care research. The research will also provide valuations of health states from the Australian population that can then be used in economic evaluation.Read moreRead less