Prevalence, Nature And Recommendations For Clinical Management And Self-management Of Depression For People With HIV
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$470,290.00
Summary
By comparing the nature and prevalence of depression in those with and without HIV, and documenting the ways in which general practitioners manage depression in their patients, the project will provide a comprehensive and layered understanding of depression among men, particularly those living with HIV in urban and regional Australia. Project findings will develop the skills and research capacity of general practitioners in the assessment and management of depression.
A Randomized Controlled Trial Of A General Practice Based Intervention To Prevent Chronic Vascular Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$774,357.00
Summary
Chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes contribute greatly to the burden of disease in Australian society. Prevention of these conditions is a high priority for the health system. There is increasing evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to prevent chronic disease in those at high risk. However the feasibility of intervening through general practice and other existing services has not been demonstrated. We have previously conducted research on a structured approach ....Chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes contribute greatly to the burden of disease in Australian society. Prevention of these conditions is a high priority for the health system. There is increasing evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to prevent chronic disease in those at high risk. However the feasibility of intervening through general practice and other existing services has not been demonstrated. We have previously conducted research on a structured approach to helping patients with risk factors for chronic disease (such as smoking, poor nutrition, hazardous alcohol consumption and physical inactivity) including both cardiovascular disease and diabetes in general practice. This study aims to evaluate the impact of recalling patients to general practice for a visit to assess their risk of chronic disease and to help them to lower their risk by changes to smoking, diet, alcohol consumption and physical activity behaviours. Practices in the intervention group will receive training, practice visits, resources, and referral pathways to enable them to invite eligible patients to attend the practice for an assessment and management of their risk factors. This will include provision of education materials, support for behaviour change, referral to diet education and physical activity program and follow up. The feasibility of this type of vascular disease prevention intervention for high-risk patients has not been trialled previously in Australia. The findings of this research will help to inform Australian and State health policy especially the preventive care initiatives recently announced by the Council of Australian Governments. It will also inform practice leading to better guidelines for general practice preventive care, better support for general practice to provide preventive care for patients at risk of chronic disease and better support for patients to reduce their risk of chronic disease by changing their behaviour.Read moreRead less
Investigating The Capacity Of The General Practitioner Workforce To Meet Ongoing HIV Primary Care Needs In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$469,552.00
Summary
The number of people living with HIV-AIDS in Australia is increasing and ageing, requiring an expert primary care workforce to provide HIV clinical care into the future. Yet the numbers of general practitioners training as s100 prescribers may be insufficient to replace those leaving to retire or change jobs. This study will provide critical and timely evidence for why and how GPs pursue or continue working in HIV medicine in different caseload and geographical settings across Australia.
Should I Take Low Dose Aspirin? The 'Optimise' Decision Aid Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$437,337.00
Summary
An aspirin per day reduces cancer risk as well as protecting against heart disease and stroke. It's readily available, affordable and could potentially reduce the two most common causes of death and disease in Australia. However, aspirin also increases the chance of bleeding and that needs to be weighed up against the potential benefits. The challenge for patients and their healthcare providers is personalising this evidence for the individual patient. Our study develops and tests an online tool ....An aspirin per day reduces cancer risk as well as protecting against heart disease and stroke. It's readily available, affordable and could potentially reduce the two most common causes of death and disease in Australia. However, aspirin also increases the chance of bleeding and that needs to be weighed up against the potential benefits. The challenge for patients and their healthcare providers is personalising this evidence for the individual patient. Our study develops and tests an online tool that does just that.Read moreRead less
FAST-Australia: A Phase II Study Of Family History Screening For Chronic Disease Prevention In Primary Care.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$343,429.00
Summary
Risk of developing certain cancers, heart disease and diabetes is increased by having an affected family member. People found to be at risk can be offered ways to prevent or detect these diseases early through lifestyle advice or disease screening. This project will develop and evaluate a family history questionnaire in preparation for a trial of family history screening and its impact on disease prevention.
Randomised Controlled Trial Of A Brief GP Intervention To Reduce Overweight In Victorian Primary School Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$662,600.00
Summary
Childhood overweight and obesity is one of the most pressing public health problems of our time. The aim of this study is to lower the levels of overweight and mild obesity in children aged 5-9 years, through sustainable family and child nutritional and-or physical activity behavioural choices that can be implemented by general practitioners (GPs). This trial addresses the urgent need identified in the 2003 NHMRC Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Childr ....Childhood overweight and obesity is one of the most pressing public health problems of our time. The aim of this study is to lower the levels of overweight and mild obesity in children aged 5-9 years, through sustainable family and child nutritional and-or physical activity behavioural choices that can be implemented by general practitioners (GPs). This trial addresses the urgent need identified in the 2003 NHMRC Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents for simple, well-designed intervention studies which can be translated into usual clinical practice. Effective and coordinated universal prevention, secondary prevention and management services will all be needed to reduce the problem, and a great deal of research is needed in all of these. This proposal addresses the most neglected area of research - secondary prevention in the primary care sector. Through our previous research, we have already showed that this approach is feasible and acceptable to families and GPs. Our multidisciplinary research team is well-established, and we are not aware of any other research team in Australia that has the capacity and expertise to conduct this research at this point in time. In this randomised controlled trial, we expect a halving in the rate of gain in BMI over 6 and 12 months. This would equate to the average participant achieving a BMI of 25 (verging on overweight) rather than 30 (obese) by adulthood. If effective, we expect the following outcomes: 1) The adoption and maintenance of healthy lifestyle behaviours in that segment of the population which has most to gain over a lifetime - overweight and obese children 2) Documentation that general practitioners can make a significant contribution to combating the childhood obesity epidemic 3) A replicable, feasible, cost-effective primary care approach to childhood overweight-obesity tailored to the Australian health care system.Read moreRead less
Increasing The Capacity Of Community Pharmacy For Screening, Brief Intervention And Referral For Treatment Of Pharmaceutical Opioid Use Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$177,197.00
Summary
Pharmaceutical opioid dependence is a growing problem. There are effective treatments available, yet few people who need treatment receive it. Currently, pharmacists receive little training on substance use disorders, yet are in contact with almost every person likely to develop problems with pharmaceutical opioids. This project will take an innovative approach to involve pharmacists in identifying those developing problems with pharmaceutical opioids and referring them to treatment.
QUality Improvement In Primary Care To Prevent Hospitalisations And Improve Effectiveness And Efficiency Of Care For People Living With Heart Disease (QUEL)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$828,305.00
Summary
Heart disease accounts for a great number of deaths and admissions to hospital. We aim to improve ongoing prevention for people with heart disease by supporting general practices to use their data and provide more systematic care. We propose a randomised trial to determine whether a practice level strategy reduces cardiovascular events and hospitalisations and saves money. The research will directly inform government decision-making and policy regarding primary care incentive payment programs.
Translating Risk Models To Improve Prevention And Early Diagnosis Of Cancer In Primary Care
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$479,882.00
Summary
Primary care plays a key role in prevention and early diagnosis of cancer. This fellowship will apply evidence about cancer risk to help GPs provide tailored advice to patients about preventing common cancers. It will also use new risk tools to assess people with symptoms suggestive of cancer to support earlier diagnosis. The research extends to studies relating to how people interpret symptoms and ways of promoting earlier presentation to the GP in patients who are at higher risk of cancer.