People who have experienced a previous heart attack or stroke are at greatest risk of having another cardiovascular event. Drug treatment, with aspirin and medication to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, has been shown to substantially reduce this risk. Despite good evidence that these drugs are effective, and that their use is recommended in both Australian and international guidelines, many people who should be taking these medications on a long-term basis are not. This may partly be due t ....People who have experienced a previous heart attack or stroke are at greatest risk of having another cardiovascular event. Drug treatment, with aspirin and medication to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, has been shown to substantially reduce this risk. Despite good evidence that these drugs are effective, and that their use is recommended in both Australian and international guidelines, many people who should be taking these medications on a long-term basis are not. This may partly be due to under-prescribing by doctors, but it is also likely that asymptomatic patients are discouraged by the cost and inconvenience of taking many tablets. In the first study of its kind in this country, we will determine whether a strategy based on the provision of recommended treatments in a single pill (a polypill) will result in better use of these drugs, and as a consequence, will achieve optimum practice in patients with heart disease or stroke. Under the care of their general practitioner, 1000 such patients will be randomly allocated to the polypill, or to continuing their usual treatment. At the end of 2 years, both groups will be assessed for the proportion of people still prescribed and taking all recommended treatments. We will also collect information on the attitudes and experiences of those participating in the study of prescribing (by doctors), dispensing (by pharmacists) and taking (by patients) the polypill. As cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of illness and death in Australia, finding new ways to ensure the maximum use of known, effective preventive treatments in patients with heart disease and stroke, particularly to those who have less access to health care, is of critical importance. The polypill represents a novel strategy with the potential to achieve this objective, and to improve the clinical care and well-being of many thousands of Australians.Read moreRead less
Improving The Quality Of Nephrology Care In Rural Australia (INCRA): Implementation Of Key Guidelines Into Clinical Practice In Rural Or Remote Nephrology Practices.
A Randomised Control Trial Evaluating Outcomes Of An Emergency Nurse Practitioner Service.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$83,149.00
Summary
This proposed research will provide much needed evidence on this reform model. Health services research struggles to establish an inquiry context that is flexible to study service-level interventions using the gold standard of a randomised controlled trail (RCT). This proposed research will be conducted in a health service environment with a stable E-NP service innovation and capacity to randomise patient participants.
Advancing Equitable And Non-discriminatory Access To Health Services For First Nations Peoples: A Multidisciplinary Queensland Human Rights Act Case Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,279,602.00
Summary
The objective of this innovative study is to apply a multidisciplinary, right to health lens to critically explore & bring to light Indigenous Australians' experiences of racial discrimination in accessing equitable, quality & timely health services in urban, rural & remote locations. Research outcomes will be synthesised into a suite of project deliverables, with Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group guidance & community co-design, to advance inter-generational health justice.
Health Care In The Round: Building Capacity For Integrated Decision-making For Improving Health Services.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,156,378.00
Summary
Our title, ‘Healthcare in the round’, reflects two key perspectives on improving health services. First, we wish to ‘close the loop’ between the introduction of an innovation and measuring its uptake and impact. Second, we are seeking to explore how decisions about health services might be ‘rounded out’ if the ethical dimensions, economic implications and community’s views on what is being proposed were routinely considered in deciding what changes to make to existing patterns of care.