MEDICAL EARLY RESPONSE INTERVENTION AND THERAPY (MERIT): A RANDOMISED CLINICAL TRIAL
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$530,500.00
Summary
Every year, between 12,000 and 23,000 deaths are associated with in-hospital adverse events, making them one of the leading causes of death in the general population. These adverse events lost Australia over three million bed-days per year, and cost the country up to $4.7 billion every year. Among the adverse events, death, cardiac arrest and unplanned admissions to intensive care unit (ICU) are the most serious occurrences. The majority of the events were preceded by serious clinical deteriorat ....Every year, between 12,000 and 23,000 deaths are associated with in-hospital adverse events, making them one of the leading causes of death in the general population. These adverse events lost Australia over three million bed-days per year, and cost the country up to $4.7 billion every year. Among the adverse events, death, cardiac arrest and unplanned admissions to intensive care unit (ICU) are the most serious occurrences. The majority of the events were preceded by serious clinical deterioration, which can be easily identified. Recognising these problems, a hospital-wide intervention system called the Medical Emergency Team (MET) has been developed in Australia over the last 10 years. Under this system, when a patient's clinical condition is unstable, a call is immediately placed to the MET for intervention. Preliminary data have shown that the MET can reduce in-hospital deaths, cardiac arrests and unplanned ICU admissions. However, past studies have been based on observational design and their results lack scientific credence due to uncontrolled confounders and biases. It is proposed to conduct a multi-centre randomised clinical trial to test the hypothesis that the implementation of the hospital-wide MET system will reduce the aggregate incidence of the following three adverse events: unplanned admissions to intensive care units, cardiopulmonary arrest, and in-hospital death. The study will involve 20 Australian and New Zealand hospitals, each with at least 20,000 admissions per year. This study will provide crucial scientific evidence for health managers and governments to make decision on the implementation of MET in Australian and New Zealand hospitals. If the MET system is shown to reduce adverse events as observed in preliminary studies, then the introduction of MET could save approximately 4000 lives, avoid 1500 cardiac arrests, and prevent 2500 unplanned ICU admissions every year.Read moreRead less
Implementing Delirium Prevention In Hospitalised Older Patients Using Normalisation Process Theory
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$175,303.00
Summary
Hospital-acquired delirium in older people is preventable. The study aim is to translate the research evidence for the prevention and management of delirium in hospitalised older people into practice. The outcome will be person and family-centred delirium prevention practices embedded into nursing work, with delirium prevention integrated into the workplace culture of Gold Coast Health. A collaborative implementation model inclusive of end users, namely nurses and consumers, will be used.
Physiotherapist Led Stress Inoculation Intervention Integrated With Exercise For Acute Whiplash Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$518,960.00
Summary
Physical and mental health outcomes following whiplash injury due to a road traffic crash are poor. Early stress system responses are associated with poor recovery. This study will investigate the effectiveness of a physiotherapist led stress inoculation intervention integrated with currently recommended exercise rehabilitation to improve health outcomes after whiplash injury.
Pre-clinical Evaluation Of Nano-membrane Dressings To Promote Wound Healing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$188,600.00
Summary
This project will investigate whether a novel type of wound dressing can promote faster wound healing and reduce scarring. Time taken to heal is one of the best predictors of whether a wound will heal with significant scarring. The faster wounds heal the better. We have identified a new dressing with specific nano-scale pores that may promote faster healing. This dressing will be tested in the best model of human wound healing with the potential to progress to clinical trials if successful.
Whiplash Injury: Classification, Prediction And Directives For Improved Management Strategies.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$331,674.00
Summary
Whiplash is a costly condition with many people developing chronic symptoms. This research aims to improve the diagnosis and classification of the condition from the time of injury until either recovery or the development of persistent pain. This will facilitate the early identification of those at risk of poor recovery and will lay the foundations for the development of improved early management, particularly in primary care.
Hypothermia Prior To Decompression For Treatment Of Acute Spinal Cord Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$294,163.00
Summary
In spinal cord injuries, the cord is compressed as a result of vertebral injury. Urgent relief of compression improves outcome, however, is difficult because of the complexity of pre-surgical management. Our data demonstrate that hypothermia stops compressive spinal cord injury, allowing decompression to be performed in a period that will benefit most patients. This project aims to undertake the studies necessary before beginning a human trial of hypothermia prior to decompressive surgery.