Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of A Simple, Inexpensive, Saliva-based Caries-risk Test
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$29,688.00
Summary
The project aims to develop a test with the capacity to identify children at risk of developing caries (dental decay) so they can benefit from preventive care. The effectiveness of the test will be assessed by how well it correlates with currently available tests and whether it can predict caries development in children classified into risk groups on the basis of the test. The test promises to be predictive of caries-risk, inexpensive, easy to interpret and rapid when compared to those currently ....The project aims to develop a test with the capacity to identify children at risk of developing caries (dental decay) so they can benefit from preventive care. The effectiveness of the test will be assessed by how well it correlates with currently available tests and whether it can predict caries development in children classified into risk groups on the basis of the test. The test promises to be predictive of caries-risk, inexpensive, easy to interpret and rapid when compared to those currently available commercially.Read moreRead less
Validation Of A Competency Assessment Method For Persons With Dementia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$580,451.00
Summary
Deciding what if any aspects of their financial affairs a person with dementia or suspected dementia can responsibly manage is a difficult process for health and legal professionals as well as for guardianship boards and tribunals. This process is often stressful for the older person, and families can find deciding when to “take over” stressful. Also, having family members manage the older person’s assets may result in family conflict. There is a small amount of overseas research examining this ....Deciding what if any aspects of their financial affairs a person with dementia or suspected dementia can responsibly manage is a difficult process for health and legal professionals as well as for guardianship boards and tribunals. This process is often stressful for the older person, and families can find deciding when to “take over” stressful. Also, having family members manage the older person’s assets may result in family conflict. There is a small amount of overseas research examining this issue. However, no comprehensive and validated method exists internationally or in Australia to determine competency in this context. We will test a methodology for assessing the capacity of individuals to manage their own financial affairs where dementia is an issue. This method involves the use of a number of reliable and well-validated instruments measuring the older person’s mental state, anxiety levels, depression, and social vulnerability combined with an interview exploring the personal circumstances of the older adult in relation to their financial affairs. We will work with the Office of the Adult Guardian in Queensland to recruit participants and to verify both the utility and usability of our methodology with stakeholders (e.g. solicitors, the Office of the Adult Guardian). A comparison will be made between the results obtained in approximately 200 financial competency cases with the competency opinions independently arrived at by the Office of the Adult Guardian in Queensland. As a result of this research, we will be able to ascertain the viability and utility of this assessment method, improve the method as per the data gathered, and ultimately seek future funding to trial the methods across multiple jurisdictions (e.g. other states) and contexts (e.g. various cultural contexts).Read moreRead less
THE DETECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF DEMENTIA IN GENERAL PRACTICE.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$499,977.00
Summary
This research aims to examine a new method and practice guidelines for detection of early dementia. General practitioners will be screened on their ability to diagnose and manage dementia and to distinguish it from other diseases. Patient outcomes - including quality of life, depression, and satisfaction with care and referral indicators - will be examined.
Helping Family Caregivers Of Palliative Care Patients Manage Their Roles: Evaluation Of A Hospital Based Group Education
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$219,810.00
Summary
While most people would prefer to die at home, the reality is that about two thirds of people die in in-patient settings, such as palliative care units. A home death is more likely if family caregivers are well prepared and supported in their role. Palliative care services are expected to support family caregivers. Research shows, however, that many family caregivers lack the required information to effectively manage their role. They are also prone to suffer psychological distress while support ....While most people would prefer to die at home, the reality is that about two thirds of people die in in-patient settings, such as palliative care units. A home death is more likely if family caregivers are well prepared and supported in their role. Palliative care services are expected to support family caregivers. Research shows, however, that many family caregivers lack the required information to effectively manage their role. They are also prone to suffer psychological distress while supporting their dying relative. Caregivers have expressed a desire for structured information to better prepare them for their role, whether their dying relative is in hospital, a palliative care unit or at home. The aim of this project is to develop and evaluate an educational program offered to family caregivers who are supporting a relative who is receiving palliative care in an inpatient setting. The education program seeks to help family caregivers manage their role and to prepare them for the patient�s home care where appropriate. It is hoped that family caregivers who have attended the program will be more competent, better prepared and more informed about their caregiving role. An additional benefit from attending the program will be the opportunity for family caregivers to meet others in similar situations to themselves. Each education program will involve approximately six family caregivers; it will be conducted very soon after their relative has been admitted to the palliative care unit. The program will be of two hours duration (including time for data collection) and will be facilitated by a suitably qualified health professional. Written resources will be provided and caregivers will be given the opportunity to meet with staff from the multidisciplinary team. Referrals for scheduled consultations will be made where relevant. The program will be conducted in three sites (two in Victoria and one in Western Australia) and will be comprehensively evaluated. The caregivers who attend the program will be invited to provide feedback by completing several questionnaires designed to determine the effectiveness of the program. Group education programs of this kind have previously not been rigorously developed and tested. We seek to address this and hope to demonstrate that we can positively influence the family care giving experience.Read moreRead less
Optimising Current Therapeutic Approaches To Schizophrenia: The OPTiMiSE Consortium
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,016,659.00
Summary
Despite modern treatments advances (medications and psychological treatments), the prognosis of schizophrenia has only improved marginally and is individually variable. The OPTiMiSE Consortium, consisting of leading experts in schizophrenia research across Europe and a group in Australia, will commence a 5-year research program world-first in scale and scope. We will investigate the biological markers related to treatment response in over 1000 individuals with recent-onset schizophrenia. Schizop ....Despite modern treatments advances (medications and psychological treatments), the prognosis of schizophrenia has only improved marginally and is individually variable. The OPTiMiSE Consortium, consisting of leading experts in schizophrenia research across Europe and a group in Australia, will commence a 5-year research program world-first in scale and scope. We will investigate the biological markers related to treatment response in over 1000 individuals with recent-onset schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a chronic disease and despite modern medication and psychological treatments the outcome is highly variable and often poor. The Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre is part of the European based OPTiMiSE Consortium, the largest ever research program evaluating why individuals with schizophrenia vary in response to different medications. We will examine what characteristics predict which drugs are most helpful to 120 individuals with first episode schizophreniaRead moreRead less
Improving The Psychological Wellbeing Of Family Caregivers Of Home Based Palliative Care Patients: A Randomised Controll
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$300,000.00
Summary
Support for family caregivers during the care giving phase and into bereavement is a core element of palliative care philosophy and practice. The majority of people report a preference to be cared for at home yet only about a quarter of Australians receiving palliative care services have a home death. Family caregivers provide the bulk of support to patients receiving palliative care at home and without this contribution the well-being of patients and their capacity to remain at home would be co ....Support for family caregivers during the care giving phase and into bereavement is a core element of palliative care philosophy and practice. The majority of people report a preference to be cared for at home yet only about a quarter of Australians receiving palliative care services have a home death. Family caregivers provide the bulk of support to patients receiving palliative care at home and without this contribution the well-being of patients and their capacity to remain at home would be compromised. Many research studies have acknowledged the negative psychological, physical, social and financial impact experienced by family caregivers who care for a relative requiring palliative care at home. Family caregivers report a variety of unmet needs throughout the palliative care and bereavement process, despite input from health care services and have been referred to as �hidden patients�. Support for family caregivers is often crisis driven. Resource issues in rural areas add to the challenges of providing optimal family centred support. Hence, it is difficult to claim that palliative care services pro-actively provide effective targeted support for family caregivers and for the most part, family situations with unmet needs prevail. Family caregivers want information that prepares them for what is involved in supporting a dying relative, on how to provide patient comfort, practical care needs and strategies to minimise their own psychological burden. Our study specifically responds to these identified needs by evaluating a home based intervention that aims to enhance the psychological well-being of family caregivers. Family caregivers will receive two home visits from a palliative care nurse, written resources and phone support. A care plan will be developed in partnership with the local palliative care service.Read moreRead less
Cognitive Outcome And Therapeutic Interventions For Coronary Artery Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$392,104.00
Summary
Dementia is recognized as an increasingly important factor affecting quality of life as people age. Deaths from heart disease are declining, in part due to improved surgical techniques and to the use of less invasive methods to keep arteries open such as coronary stenting. It is now well known that 20 to 60% of patients experience some degree of impairment in thinking ability (cognitive impairment) after cardiac surgery, that this will persist in some of these individuals for years and may incre ....Dementia is recognized as an increasingly important factor affecting quality of life as people age. Deaths from heart disease are declining, in part due to improved surgical techniques and to the use of less invasive methods to keep arteries open such as coronary stenting. It is now well known that 20 to 60% of patients experience some degree of impairment in thinking ability (cognitive impairment) after cardiac surgery, that this will persist in some of these individuals for years and may increase the risk of long-term problems. Cognitive impairment affects people in many ways. While it is not yet known whether the occurrence of cognitive impairment predisposes to dementia, it is thought that Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) may do so. We propose to explore the link between MCI and Post Procedural Cognitive Deficit (PPCD) in patients with coronary disease from before the first point of objective diagnosis, i.e. prior to the coronary angiogram, and over a 12-month period, through and subsequent to further treatment interventions such as stenting or cardiac surgery. Our Pilot data suggest that PPCD does indeed occur after angiography, and we propose to identify how long this lasts, whether MCI predisposes to it and whether it is better to wait until it resolves before further interventions are undertaken. In this way we hope to identify the safest treatment strategy for patients with coronary disease that will minimize the occurrence of Cognitive Deficit and possibly longer-term cognitive changes after investigation and treatment for their symptoms.Read moreRead less
Better Targeting Of Preventive Services Using Epidemiological Modelling
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,951,463.00
Summary
The purpose of this program of research is to improve the effectiveness of chronic disease prevention in Australia. The focus is to develop epidemiological models that can assist policy-makers to make more informed choices of which preventive programs to fund, improve the ability of clinicians to provide accurate preventive advice and to increase the ability of consumers to make decisions about preventive activities (that may relate to themselves or their communities). Australian population tren ....The purpose of this program of research is to improve the effectiveness of chronic disease prevention in Australia. The focus is to develop epidemiological models that can assist policy-makers to make more informed choices of which preventive programs to fund, improve the ability of clinicians to provide accurate preventive advice and to increase the ability of consumers to make decisions about preventive activities (that may relate to themselves or their communities). Australian population trends over coming years will be dominated by increasing numbers of elderly and a continuing increase in average lifespan. A priority for preventive healthcare is to maintain the elderly in a healthy active state, free of chronic disease, for as long as possible. Options to achieve this are increasing but vary in terms of likely effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Since many of the costs and benefits of preventive programs occur beyond the time-scale of major intervention trials, the prediction of long-term benefits requires the integration of information from multiple sources including trials, epidemiological studies, risk-factor surveys and demography through a process referred to as epidemiological modelling. This project has major relevance to consumers, allied health professionals and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. One outcome of the project will be to allow consumers to make informed decisions about their preventive health care and will assist allied health professionals providing preventive advice to patients. These include occupational health nurses, health promotion officers, Aboriginal health workers and nurse practitioners.Read moreRead less
Strengthening Community Based Paliative Care Services: Towards A Better Understanding Of Medical Aspects Of Caring For C
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$68,892.00
Summary
Caring for children [and their families] in the palliative phase of an illness offers unique challenges. Community based palliative care programs provide a predominantly adult focused service, their experience with children being limited by smaller numbers. This study aims to better characterize the medical aspects of caring for terminally ill children in Australia, thru the use of a parental survey in a large representative cohort at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne (RCH). The focus wil ....Caring for children [and their families] in the palliative phase of an illness offers unique challenges. Community based palliative care programs provide a predominantly adult focused service, their experience with children being limited by smaller numbers. This study aims to better characterize the medical aspects of caring for terminally ill children in Australia, thru the use of a parental survey in a large representative cohort at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne (RCH). The focus will be to identify issues relating to symptom assessment and management, family and caregiver support and psychosocial-bereavement support. The knowledge gained will be used to redesign-strengthen links between paediatric hospitals and community based palliative care programs.Read moreRead less