Who Decides And At What Cost? Comparing Patient, Surrogate And Oncologist Perspectives On End Of Life Care
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$260,564.00
Summary
This project will directly compare the preferences for end of life care and involvement in decision making among cancer patients, surrogate decision makers and oncologists; and explore how these preferences change over time. Findings will inform novel strategies to improve the adherence of surrogate decision makers and providers to patient preferences when patients lose the capacity to make these decisions themselves.
A Multi-centre RCT To Prevent Secondary Falls In Older People Presenting To The Emergency Department With A Fall
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,534,471.00
Summary
Falls are a leading cause for presentation to Emergency Departments (EDs) by older patients. More than 50% who present to ED with a fall injury have fallen in the previous year. RESPOND is an innovative post-ED discharge program designed to reduce secondary falls in older people. RESPOND extends current falls prevention research and practice by incorporating patient-centred education with behaviour change strategies proven to be effective in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular events.
Understanding And Preventing Avoidable Readmissions: Development Of A Patient Centered And Disease Specific Screening Tool
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
This study aims to develop a screenings tool to prevent unplanned re-admissions, based on specific patient centred and disease specific factors. We will include index admission data (367,782 in 2015) of five MACH hospitals. The cohort will be divided into a group for index derivation and a group for internal validation. Variables on patient and admission characteristics are based on literature. After internal validation we will validate the tool externally and implement it in clinical practice
Improving Outcomes For Patients With Critical Bleeding Requiring Massive Transfusion
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$877,786.00
Summary
Blood transfusions— the most common procedure in Australian hospitals —are life-saving for people with uncontrolled bleeding. They cost Australia more than $1 billion each year and despite their life-saving potential their risks are concerning. This project, led by ANZ researchers, health professionals, blood service stakeholders and government representatives, will provide new information about how to improve the safety and outcomes of patients receiving blood transfusions in our hospitals.
Creating A Culture Of Safety And Respect: A Controlled, Mixed Methods Study Of The Effectiveness Of A Behavioural Accountability Intervention To Reduce Unprofessional Behaviours
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$875,978.00
Summary
Unprofessional behaviours among health professionals are common and are associated with increased patient dissatisfaction and medicolegal risk. Addressing these behaviours is a national issue. Ethos is a structured accountability system involving a process of early, non-punitive and tiered intervention and will be introduced across four Australian hospitals. This research will be the first controlled study to assess the effectiveness of the Ethos program to improve patient safety in Australia.
Notifications To The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency: Identifying ‘hot Spots’ Of Risk To Help Improve The Quality And Safety Of Healthcare
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$276,072.00
Summary
Health practitioners with performance, health or conduct concerns can present a serious risk to patients. Yet we lack reliable methods for identifying these practitioners at an early stage. Each year the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency receives 1,000s of notifications about individual practitioners. We will use this data to identify “hot spots” of risk among different groups of practitioners and help target interventions to support practitioners and protect patients from harm.
Patient-centred EHealth Approach To Improving Outcomes For Gout Sufferers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$688,354.00
Summary
Gout, caused by excessive urate, can be controlled by prescribing medication and patients adhering to them. We will conduct a 2-year controlled trial in primary care to test an eHealth tool to significantly improve gout patient outcomes. This tool tracks patients plasma urate, medication adherence, gout attacks and provides education, interaction with gout experts and reminders of medical visits. Nationwide rollout of this gout management tool will occur after improved outcomes are proven.
Transforming Nursing Assessment In Acute Hospitals: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial Of An Evidence-based Core Assessment Protocol (the ENCORE Trial)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,069,268.00
Summary
Patients in acute care hospital are increasingly dependent on effective nursing surveillance for early detection of decline in clinical stability. But to meet the imperatives of the safety and quality agenda hospitals are universally moving towards systems that track physiological decline and trigger emergency response. This research will study the effectiveness of an intervention that supports nurses’ patient surveillance practices to achieve reduction in the events of clinical deterioration.
Delivering Safe And Effective Care For Children In Hospital With Ehealth Systems
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$660,217.00
Summary
Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network plans to implement an electronic medication management system (eMM) for all patients attending their two paediatric hospitals and an integrated electronic medical record (eMR) for oncology patients. This project will assess the effects of the eMM in reducing medication errors and associated costs across the paediatric hospitals; and evaluate the impact of the eMR on the work and patient outcomes of the paediatric oncology departments.
Value-Based Healthcare In Elective Coronary Stenting
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,236,881.00
Summary
Coronary stents are wire mesh tubes inserted into cholesterol blockages in heart blood vessels (arteries) thus improving coronary blood flow and alleviating chest pain. Although life saving in acute heart attacks, their value is limited in stable patients and may be associated with severe complications. In partnership with the health department, this project will evaluate how many patients continue to experience chest pain after elective coronary stenting so that can be used more effectively.