Needs Based Access To Specialist Palliative Care Services: Development And Evaluation Of A Consumer Toolkit
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$286,572.00
Summary
The study will test the cost-effectiveness of two models of supportive care coordination for advanced cancer against _usual care�: a Telephone Caseworker model and an Oncologist-GP model. Both models are aimed at improving patients� and their informal caregivers� health and psychosocial status; are patient-centred, evidence based and readily transferable across health care settings. The Telephone Caseworker model has the additional advantage of reaching people isolated through geography, physica ....The study will test the cost-effectiveness of two models of supportive care coordination for advanced cancer against _usual care�: a Telephone Caseworker model and an Oncologist-GP model. Both models are aimed at improving patients� and their informal caregivers� health and psychosocial status; are patient-centred, evidence based and readily transferable across health care settings. The Telephone Caseworker model has the additional advantage of reaching people isolated through geography, physical disability or age.Read moreRead less
Closing The Divide: Aboriginal And Torres Straight Islander People And Cancer Survivorship
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$701,662.00
Summary
This project will significantly contribute to Indigenous health research through addressing the current knowledge gap about the unmet support needs of Indigenous cancer patients in Queensland. This study will also investigate if the existing cancer supportive care is adequate for Indigenous patients and how an indigenious patient navigator will adress the barriers to accessing existing care. Indigenous research capacity building is a strong element of this project.
My background is in psychology and epidemiology and I study lifecourse factors related to common mental health problems, including: depression, anxiety, substance use, eating-disordered behaviour, and gambling. My aims are to use research findings to (1)
Optimising Computerised Decision Support To Transform Medication Safety And Reduce Prescriber Burden
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$325,546.00
Summary
As medication management in Australian hospitals shifts from paper to electronic formats, organisations are faced with a difficult decision: should drug-drug interaction (DDI) alerts be turned on and if so, which alerts? In this study, we propose a highly innovative approach to assess DDI alerts, which combines a robust evaluation of error rates with a human factors evaluation of alerts.
Consumer Information Materials And A Communication Aid For Diagnostic Tests For Breast Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$105,863.00
Summary
Many studies have now shown that the majority of patients want to participate in clinical decisions about medical treatments they might receive. As a result, information materials are being developed to help consumers and doctors work together to reach satisfying treatment decisions which are based on the best available evidence and also reflect the individual patient's needs and preferences about the treatment options. Very little is known, however, about whether consumers also want to particip ....Many studies have now shown that the majority of patients want to participate in clinical decisions about medical treatments they might receive. As a result, information materials are being developed to help consumers and doctors work together to reach satisfying treatment decisions which are based on the best available evidence and also reflect the individual patient's needs and preferences about the treatment options. Very little is known, however, about whether consumers also want to participate in decisions about whether to have a medical test. Tests can be trivial, such as a blood or urine test, or quite major and invasive, such as a biopsy or a colonoscopy. People considering a medical test might want to know the answers to the following questions: What is my chance of having the disease being tested for? If the test result is positive what is the chance I have the disease? If the test result is negative what is the chance I have the disease anyway? How will the test result influence treatment of my condition? What are possible side-effects of the test? Generally information materials about medical tests only describe the test itself, and do not contain the information people need to answer these questions. Even doctors may not have to hand the data needed to answer these questions. Yet without this information, consumers cannot make truly informed and rational choices about whether to have the test. This project aims to find out whether consumers want to participate in decisions about medical tests, what information they would want to do this, and to develop and trial information materials and a communication aid for a small number of breast cancer tests. We will use tests for diagnosing breast cancer as our model but we anticipate the work will be applicable across a wide range of medical tests.Read moreRead less
Patient-centred EHealth Approach To Improving Outcomes For Gout Sufferers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$688,354.00
Summary
Gout, caused by excessive urate, can be controlled by prescribing medication and patients adhering to them. We will conduct a 2-year controlled trial in primary care to test an eHealth tool to significantly improve gout patient outcomes. This tool tracks patients plasma urate, medication adherence, gout attacks and provides education, interaction with gout experts and reminders of medical visits. Nationwide rollout of this gout management tool will occur after improved outcomes are proven.
Improving The Wellbeing Of People With Advanced Cancer And Their Family Carers: An Effectiveness-implementation Trial Of An Australian Dyadic Digital Health Intervention (FOCUSau)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,095,278.00
Summary
The end-of-life-wishes for many Australians are not upheld which has a negative impact on their quality of life as well as their family carers. However, patient and carer wellbeing is improved when they are supported together. Our research will adapt and then examine the clinical and health economic benefits of an internet-based strategy (developed in the USA) which aims to improve the quality of life of patients with advanced cancer and their family carers.