Finding meaning in the experience of dementia: The place of spiritual reminiscence work. This project will use spiritual reminiscence work to study the experience of dementia and the spiritual dimension focussing on how people with dementia find meaning and develop coping strategies. Dementia is a significant issue for an ageing society where estimates of prevalence indicate a rise of 254% from 1995-2041. The greatest challenge to people diagnosed with dementia is their search for meaning lead ....Finding meaning in the experience of dementia: The place of spiritual reminiscence work. This project will use spiritual reminiscence work to study the experience of dementia and the spiritual dimension focussing on how people with dementia find meaning and develop coping strategies. Dementia is a significant issue for an ageing society where estimates of prevalence indicate a rise of 254% from 1995-2041. The greatest challenge to people diagnosed with dementia is their search for meaning leading to the development of effective coping strategies as their memory loss and confusion progresses. Outcomes will impact on persons with dementia, staff and carers, with improved quality of life for allRead moreRead less
Improving the quality of nursing care and health outcomes for elderly patients during acute hospitalisation. This study aims to compare the perceptions of nurses, elderly patients and their carers in terms of the nursing needs of elderly hospitalised patients'. It will also investigate reasons for any differences found between expectations and reality of care provided. The significance is that the elderly are the largest consumers of health care yet this is the first collaborative Australian ....Improving the quality of nursing care and health outcomes for elderly patients during acute hospitalisation. This study aims to compare the perceptions of nurses, elderly patients and their carers in terms of the nursing needs of elderly hospitalised patients'. It will also investigate reasons for any differences found between expectations and reality of care provided. The significance is that the elderly are the largest consumers of health care yet this is the first collaborative Australian study to investigate the needs of elderly patients. Expected outcomes are an education program for nurses and the development of evidence-based models of nursing care for elderly patients, increased patient satisfaction and health outcomes. Hospitals ultimately benefit in cost-effectiveness and efficiency.Read moreRead less
Improving patient health outcomes in acute care hospital settings using mobile wireless technology and handheld computers. This project will investigate the use of wireless handheld computers, in three acute care clinical units located at Southern Health and the Royal Women's Hospital, to determine the impact on patient safety and quality of care. There is a need for real time point-of-care access (and input) to patient information, nursing reference information, and drug information for nurses ....Improving patient health outcomes in acute care hospital settings using mobile wireless technology and handheld computers. This project will investigate the use of wireless handheld computers, in three acute care clinical units located at Southern Health and the Royal Women's Hospital, to determine the impact on patient safety and quality of care. There is a need for real time point-of-care access (and input) to patient information, nursing reference information, and drug information for nurses in Australian hospitals. This project aims to address this need by providing nurses with wireless handheld access to such resources. This project is extremely significant, as the outcomes will provide nurses, in Australia and overseas, a set of guidelines for managing wireless handheld computers in clinical units, to enhance patient safety and quality of care.Read moreRead less
Safe and accessible care for older survivors of psychological trauma. This project aims to improve the safety and accessibility of community aged care services for older survivors of psychological trauma, particularly those from diverse populations. We will co-design and test a practice framework that transforms the conceptual principles of trauma-informed care into actionable care behaviours and processes for implementation. Outcomes will include a world-first roadmap to guide implementation of ....Safe and accessible care for older survivors of psychological trauma. This project aims to improve the safety and accessibility of community aged care services for older survivors of psychological trauma, particularly those from diverse populations. We will co-design and test a practice framework that transforms the conceptual principles of trauma-informed care into actionable care behaviours and processes for implementation. Outcomes will include a world-first roadmap to guide implementation of trauma-informed aged care, as well for policy makers to regulate and monitor its delivery. The project will also increase knowledge about the priorities for change within aged care from the perspective of older trauma survivors, and improve understanding of how best to engage this group in co-design.Read moreRead less
Patient and nurse outcomes and the cost of nurses' turnover in Australian hospitals. An adequate supply of nurses is fundamental to all of the National Health Priority disease areas where quality care cannot be delivered without an adequate number of motivated nurses. Designing cost-effective methods of retaining nurses requires understanding reasons why they leave the workforce and the impact this has on patient care and system costs. The findings will assist policy makers and workforce planner ....Patient and nurse outcomes and the cost of nurses' turnover in Australian hospitals. An adequate supply of nurses is fundamental to all of the National Health Priority disease areas where quality care cannot be delivered without an adequate number of motivated nurses. Designing cost-effective methods of retaining nurses requires understanding reasons why they leave the workforce and the impact this has on patient care and system costs. The findings will assist policy makers and workforce planners at both local and national levels, to design strategies to effectively recruit and retain nurses as demands for health care and market competition for staff both increase.Read moreRead less
Listen to me, I really am sick! Understanding patient and family perspectives in triggering responses to medical emergencies. This project investigates whether patient and family perspectives are treated as evidence of a deteriorating health state whilst in hospital. Recommendations from this study will inform the development of patient centred strategies to reduce delays in clinician response to physiological deterioration and improve patient safety in hospitals.
A prospective evaluation of the impact of the nurse practitioner role on emergency department service and outcomes. The local hospital emergency department (ED) is a prominent and highly utilised service in Australian communities but demand on EDs is increasing, resulting in significant service delays. This project will study the composition of ED clinical teams around Australia and their impact on improving the timeliness and quality of emergency clinical care.
Violence in the hospital setting: Testing the predictive validity of a violence assessment tool for nurses. Violence against nurses persists as an ongoing problem in the Australian health care settings. This form of violence negatively impacts on nurses' job satisfaction, performance and productivity, morale, retention and recruitment and may cause physical and/or psychological injury. By developing a violence assessment tool, this project will enable nurses to routinely assess individuals for ....Violence in the hospital setting: Testing the predictive validity of a violence assessment tool for nurses. Violence against nurses persists as an ongoing problem in the Australian health care settings. This form of violence negatively impacts on nurses' job satisfaction, performance and productivity, morale, retention and recruitment and may cause physical and/or psychological injury. By developing a violence assessment tool, this project will enable nurses to routinely assess individuals for potential violence and address the issue before violence occurs. In addition, this project will provide evidence for policy makers and health care professionals to encourage a more pro-active approach to support vulnerable nursing staff against potential violence in the emergency and general ward area.Read moreRead less
Reforming healthcare: Nurse Practitioners and workforce redesign. This unique national study investigates the progress, process and outcomes of nurse practitioner service. It brings together peak national nursing organisations and state Chief Nursing Officers and researchers who are known both nationally and internationally for innovative research into nurse practitioner service. It has widespread significance for health service providing an operational platform to implement and evaluate new rol ....Reforming healthcare: Nurse Practitioners and workforce redesign. This unique national study investigates the progress, process and outcomes of nurse practitioner service. It brings together peak national nursing organisations and state Chief Nursing Officers and researchers who are known both nationally and internationally for innovative research into nurse practitioner service. It has widespread significance for health service providing an operational platform to implement and evaluate new roles in health service delivery. It will inform health service modelling, theory building and national strategies to achieve promotion and maintenance of good health. For the first time in the history of Australian health service a new level of provider will be examined close to the point of its inception.Read moreRead less