The Economics Of Surgery: Using Routine And Registry Data To Improve Policy, With Particular Reference To Congenital Heart Disease (the Fontan Procedure) And Prosthetic Surgery (hip And Knee Replacements)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$86,073.00
Summary
My research will use economics to help improve surgery outcomes. Clinical and policy recommendations in surgery often come from a relatively low evidence base. I will make use of detailed data registries of previous recipients of hip and knee surgery (St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne) and Fontan heart surgery (Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne) to develop advanced economic models of surgery outcomes. My aim is to use these models to improve real-world health policies in surgery.
Advanced Heart Failure Management With Ventricular Assist Therapy – Evaluating Australian Costs Of Care And Effectiveness From Implant To Transplant Or End Of Life
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$45,668.00
Summary
Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) are implantable heart pumps that are increasingly being used to slow down the progression of end stage heart failure. This project assesses the costs and effectiveness of VAD therapy and advanced heart failure medical management in an Australian health care setting. The aim is to provide Australian clinicians and health decision makers access to current and relevant, clinical, cost and effectiveness data for advanced heart failure and VAD therapy.
National Database Of Patients With Atrioventicular Septal Defects
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$45,341.00
Summary
Atrioventricular septal defects are a group of childhood heart diseases affecting all four chambers of the heart and two of the valves. These children do not normally survive past 30 years without surgery. Surgery offers a chance at life, but in the long term up to a quarter of children need further surgery. We are developing an Australian database to determine how best to reduce the risk of these complications, the burden on these children and the cost to society.
The First Randomised Placebo Controlled Trial Of Paracetamol For Acute Low Back Pain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$73,852.00
Summary
Low back pain is a considerable burden for individuals and society. While clinical guidelines recommend simple treatments such as paracetamol for new low back pain, most people receive costly and potentially harmful treatments. This may be due to limited direct evidence supporting the recommended treatments. A placebo controlled clinical trial of 1650 patients with recent onset low back pain will be conducted to determine the effect that paracetamol has on improving the time to recovery.