A National Analysis Of The Palliative And Supportive Care Needs Of Families Whose Children Die From Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$68,250.00
Summary
Palliative and supportive care services for children dying from cancer are underdeveloped in the paediatric setting. There is an increasing awareness of the need for comprehensive care for these dying children and their families, however, there is a striking lack of evidence based literature on which to base paediatric palliaitive and supportive care models of care. This study is the first of its kind in the area of paediatric supportive and palliative care in Australia. This study will involve ....Palliative and supportive care services for children dying from cancer are underdeveloped in the paediatric setting. There is an increasing awareness of the need for comprehensive care for these dying children and their families, however, there is a striking lack of evidence based literature on which to base paediatric palliaitive and supportive care models of care. This study is the first of its kind in the area of paediatric supportive and palliative care in Australia. This study will involve five Australian states (WA, SA, VIC, NSW and QLD). To answer these research questions, a retrospective study will be undertaken because of: a)the profound impact that caring for a dying child has on the family, b) the potential effects on parents of participating in research related to the care of their dying child, and c) it has been shown that research undertaken after-death is an important method for evaluation of the quality of palliative care. The study will provide broad and detailed description of the palliative and supportive care needs of families whose died from cancer, as well as the types of care that may be required. The study will therefore, address four research questions: 1. What are the supportive and palliative care needs of families of children who have died from cancer? 2. To what extent have the supportive care and palliative care needs of families been met in both the hospital and community settings? 3. How were the supportive and palliative care needs of families of children who died from cancer met? 4. What were the perceived barriers and facilitating factors associated with the supportive care and palliative care received by families whose children died from cancer? This study is the first phase of a four-phase research program that will culminate in the development and testing of models for the provision of palliative and supportive care for parents of children with life-limiting conditions.Read moreRead less
Towards Community Aged Care Reform: Design and evaluation of a seamless, flexible service model. The project will develop and test a seamless and flexible community aged care model that is more responsive to consumer needs. To be rolled out by Uniting Care Community Options in its community aged care operations, it is expected that the project will raise consumer satisfaction, service quality, and health outcomes. The project will also explore the potential of pooled funding focusing on its pote ....Towards Community Aged Care Reform: Design and evaluation of a seamless, flexible service model. The project will develop and test a seamless and flexible community aged care model that is more responsive to consumer needs. To be rolled out by Uniting Care Community Options in its community aged care operations, it is expected that the project will raise consumer satisfaction, service quality, and health outcomes. The project will also explore the potential of pooled funding focusing on its potential to resolve major service gaps that result from the complexity of current funding arrangements. Moreover, the project will generate new scientific evidence regarding the viability of consumer-directed community aged care in Australia and establish an ongoing research program.Read moreRead less
Characteristics, trends, co-admissions and service needs of women admitted to residential parenting services in the year following giving birth in New South Wales. This project will examine the physical, psychological and demographic characteristics of women who use the residential parenting services provided by Tresillian and Karitane in New South Wales in twelve months following giving birth. Findings from this project will inform the design and delivery of health services to better meet the n ....Characteristics, trends, co-admissions and service needs of women admitted to residential parenting services in the year following giving birth in New South Wales. This project will examine the physical, psychological and demographic characteristics of women who use the residential parenting services provided by Tresillian and Karitane in New South Wales in twelve months following giving birth. Findings from this project will inform the design and delivery of health services to better meet the needs of women into the future.Read moreRead less
Mapping the developmental trajectories of foster families. Currently lacking in Australian research on foster care is a developmental account of foster families. This research will, through an ethnographic study of foster families, provide a map of the unique shapes that foster families take, and will provide much needed information about the support needs of both foster carers and children.
Workplace death: assessing and improving institutional responses to the needs of surviving families. The impact of workplace death and institutional responses on surviving families is seldom examined. Pilot research revealed enduring consequences not addressed by institutional responses. The project will use novel methods to advance scientific knowledge of how workplace death affects families and provide guidance to improved policy interventions.
Towards Improved Maternal And Childhood Vaccine Uptake: Managing The Challenge And Opportunity Of Complementary Medicine Practitioners
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Certain geographical areas with lower rates of vaccination pose considerable concern. Complementary medicine practitioners are often visited by vaccine-hesitant parents and are influential in their decisions about vaccination. This research provides the first examination of complementary medicine practitioner beliefs and practices regarding vaccination. Resources will be developed to help manage conversations between complementary medicine practitioners and vaccine-hesitant parents.
The Effectiveness Of A School-based Parent Education Program In The Promotion Of Adolescent Health: A Randomised Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$422,900.00
Summary
Youth mental health and behaviour problems such as depression, suicidal behaviour, tobacco use, alcohol abuse and illicit drug use are currently priority issues within Australian national and state public health policies. This project has been designed to contribute to knowledge on the effectiveness of interventions that can be used to prevent youth mental health and behaviour problems. Until recent years the development of programs to support families through the transition into adolescence has ....Youth mental health and behaviour problems such as depression, suicidal behaviour, tobacco use, alcohol abuse and illicit drug use are currently priority issues within Australian national and state public health policies. This project has been designed to contribute to knowledge on the effectiveness of interventions that can be used to prevent youth mental health and behaviour problems. Until recent years the development of programs to support families through the transition into adolescence has been neglected. This is remiss, as there is evidence that a range of youth mental health and behaviour problems may be preventable through interventions through this transition. The overall objective of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-level, family intervention designed to promote adolescent health within secondary schools. The intervention will be implemented over the first two years of high school and incorporates both universal components (for all families) and selected components (for families with particular difficulties). The intervention elements have been developed and partially evaluated in work undertaken by the applicant and collaborators over the past five years. To evaluate this intervention a representative sample of 12 Victorian secondary schools will be randomly assigned to intervention and compared to 12 control schools with prior matching on school demographics and student behaviour variables. Intervention processes will be closely monitored and evaluated for impacts on relevant risk and protective factors. Effectiveness will be evaluated by testing whether reductions in youth mental health and behaviour problems were greater for intervention families compared to controls. The evaluation has been designed to test the theory that improvement across the whole secondary school environment can be encouraged by preventing the negative peer influences that can emerge within families experiencing adolescent adjustment problemsRead moreRead less
A study of the prevalence, experience and nature of child-to-mother violence in a high risk geographical area. Child-to-mother violence is an under acknowledged but serious problem in the Australian and international contexts. This four phased study will measure the extent, scope and nature of child-to-mother violence in a high risk geographic area of Sydney. It will provide insights into the perspectives of mothers, health and welfare workers. Data will be generated from population survey and ....A study of the prevalence, experience and nature of child-to-mother violence in a high risk geographical area. Child-to-mother violence is an under acknowledged but serious problem in the Australian and international contexts. This four phased study will measure the extent, scope and nature of child-to-mother violence in a high risk geographic area of Sydney. It will provide insights into the perspectives of mothers, health and welfare workers. Data will be generated from population survey and in-depth interviews. Synthesised data will provide a framework for sustainable and supportive interventions for affected families. The findings can be utilised by policy makers and the community to expose and address this complex problem of family violence.Read moreRead less
Work, Love and Play: Understanding resilience in same-sex parented families. This research will provide information about the experiences of same-sex parented families in accessing health and community services in Australia and New Zealand. This will inform policy development aimed at improving access to services and reducing discrimination for same-sex attracted people and other minority groups. Additionally the research will increase knowledge about the impact of limited social or community su ....Work, Love and Play: Understanding resilience in same-sex parented families. This research will provide information about the experiences of same-sex parented families in accessing health and community services in Australia and New Zealand. This will inform policy development aimed at improving access to services and reducing discrimination for same-sex attracted people and other minority groups. Additionally the research will increase knowledge about the impact of limited social or community support on the health and wellbeing of families. Families are a key unit in society, and supporting strong and healthy families - in all their forms - is an important part of supporting the overall economic and social and physical wellbeing of society (National Research Priority 2: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health).Read moreRead less