Does Place Of Birth Influence A Healthy Start To Life?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$343,050.00
Summary
There are over 255,000 births in Australia each year and a major challenge in terms of planning and provision is to ensure that these babies are born in hospitals with the appropriate facilities to care for them. International studies suggest that transferring the mother before birth results in better infant outcomes than transferring the baby after birth. In Australia births occur in a range of hospitals, from small rural hospitals to tertiary obstetric and neonatal centres. However, few Austra ....There are over 255,000 births in Australia each year and a major challenge in terms of planning and provision is to ensure that these babies are born in hospitals with the appropriate facilities to care for them. International studies suggest that transferring the mother before birth results in better infant outcomes than transferring the baby after birth. In Australia births occur in a range of hospitals, from small rural hospitals to tertiary obstetric and neonatal centres. However, few Australian studies have looked at infant outcomes based on place of birth. This study will use existing population health data sets to evaluate the provision of care prior to and at birth and the impact it has on infant outcomes up to one year of age. It will also describe for the first time the hospital care utilisation associated with birth and infant health. Information will be obtained from routinely-collected birth, death and birth defect registers, and hospital, midwives and perinatal death review data. Variations in health outcomes for babies may be due to factors that occur before or during pregnancy, or may be due to differences in the care provided at birth. We need to take account of maternal factors to comprehensively assess the role of level of care at birth. We will use statistical techniques to 'predict' infant health outcomes and see if differences between places of birth are real or not. If variations are explained by different levels of care then there is enormous potential for improvement in the provision of pregnancy and newborn services. We will also compare the benefits and consequences of maternal versus neonatal transfer, and assess hospital costs. The results of this study could be applied to direct health services policy and organisational changes to improve pregnancy care and optimise infant outcomes for a healthy start to life.Read moreRead less
Needs Based Palliative Care: Evaluation Of The Palliative Care Needs Assessment Guidelines And Palliative Care Needs Ass
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$32,799.00
Summary
People with cancer and their caregivers may have a range of unmet physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs. Unfortunately, not everybody receives the type of help they need with these issues, or at the time they most need it. In this study, we will assess the extent to which recently developed Palliative Care Needs Assessment Guidelines and a Needs Assessment Tool help to a) identify those advanced cancer patients and caregivers who have unmet needs and b) ensure they are offered the care ....People with cancer and their caregivers may have a range of unmet physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs. Unfortunately, not everybody receives the type of help they need with these issues, or at the time they most need it. In this study, we will assess the extent to which recently developed Palliative Care Needs Assessment Guidelines and a Needs Assessment Tool help to a) identify those advanced cancer patients and caregivers who have unmet needs and b) ensure they are offered the care that best matches their levels and types of need at the time they most need it.Read moreRead less
Determining Critical Points In The Potential Palliative Care Pathway In The Last Year Of Life
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$356,461.00
Summary
People with serious illnesses who are approaching the end of their lives undergo a journey where, along the way, they experience several critical points. Although we know these critical points are crucial to how they might access the best kind of care, we are unsure exactly when these points may occur and how they may vary for different kinds of people. We need to know when is the best time to start withdrawing invasive and purely curative treatments, when are discussions about approaching death ....People with serious illnesses who are approaching the end of their lives undergo a journey where, along the way, they experience several critical points. Although we know these critical points are crucial to how they might access the best kind of care, we are unsure exactly when these points may occur and how they may vary for different kinds of people. We need to know when is the best time to start withdrawing invasive and purely curative treatments, when are discussions about approaching death best introduced and how we can care for people from a diverse range of backgrounds and beliefs within our current health care system. We also need to identify and promote the best possible ways of supporting patients at the end of life and their families as they negotiate the often complex path towards a good death. With this kind of information, health care practitioners, particularly those involved in palliative care, can design better services that put in place pathways where assessment of patient and family needs, referral to the most appropriate services and coordination of all the aspects of care are easy to understand and access for all people. This kind of care can be expensive so we need to use the money allocated to palliative care wisely. This can be achieved with thoughtful research that identifies those most in need, at the time of most need and investigates the best approaches to alleviating pain in suffering in the weeks and months before death. A fair and equitable health care system is not just about keeping people healthy, but also about dealing humanely with the inevitability of deathRead moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101382
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$325,000.00
Summary
Optimising digital mental health care: how technology is used in practice. This project aims to develop the first national consensus statement on the use of technology in mental health care in Australia. The project will examine how Australian health practitioners currently use digital therapy programs, and synthesise this data with international evidence and input from Australian government, health service, and digital health experts. This project expects to improve the implementation of digita ....Optimising digital mental health care: how technology is used in practice. This project aims to develop the first national consensus statement on the use of technology in mental health care in Australia. The project will examine how Australian health practitioners currently use digital therapy programs, and synthesise this data with international evidence and input from Australian government, health service, and digital health experts. This project expects to improve the implementation of digital therapy tools using an innovative, theory-driven approach. Expected outcomes of this project include increased and optimal implementation of digital therapy tools among mental health care providers and enhanced capacity within the Australian health system to meet the high demand for services in the community.Read moreRead less
Maintaining And Developing The Health In Men Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$403,014.00
Summary
The aim of this study is to improve our understanding of healthy aging in older men. The outcomes we are interested in include common acute medical problems such as heart attacks or stroke, chronic debitilating problems such as dementia or heart failure and psycho-social challenges of ageing such as depression and isolation. We have been studying a group (4,250) men for nearly a decade. These men have provided us with a large amount of information about their background, life style and health an ....The aim of this study is to improve our understanding of healthy aging in older men. The outcomes we are interested in include common acute medical problems such as heart attacks or stroke, chronic debitilating problems such as dementia or heart failure and psycho-social challenges of ageing such as depression and isolation. We have been studying a group (4,250) men for nearly a decade. These men have provided us with a large amount of information about their background, life style and health and we are now following them to see what predicts the outcomes of interest. This research is important because the proportion of the population aged 75 years and over is expanding rapidly. Although we know a lot about predictors of health and illness in middle age, we know surprisingly little about these things in the elderly. This research aims to answer some of these questions.Read moreRead less
Chronic Disease Outcomes And Enhanced Primary Care In Seniors: A Cross-Jurisdictional Linkage Project
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,077,766.00
Summary
This project will provide evidence on how best to use the efforts of Australian GPs to obtain better outcomes in patients aged 65+ years who suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, asthma and emphysema, seizures and stomach disorders. It will also examine the best way that GP visits can promote healthier ageing in all older seniors, aged 75+ years. For each disease and in older seniors, the study will be able to detect which of the following factors ....This project will provide evidence on how best to use the efforts of Australian GPs to obtain better outcomes in patients aged 65+ years who suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, asthma and emphysema, seizures and stomach disorders. It will also examine the best way that GP visits can promote healthier ageing in all older seniors, aged 75+ years. For each disease and in older seniors, the study will be able to detect which of the following factors are the most important for better patient health: (i) seeing a GP more times, (ii) seeing a GP at more even intervals, (iii) seeing the same GP, or (iv) seeing a GP with a lot of experience in chronic diseases. Separate investigations will be made in older people living in hostels and nursing homes, because their needs may be different. The study will also evaluate the benefits of a major change that occurred to Medicare in 1999, when GPs were paid to perform health assessments and to prepare health plans (with other health workers) for patients with chronic health problems. The results will enable this important initiative to be further improved. The study will use a unique and new Australian research facility, which has brought together health data on the entire population of WA from both the State and Commonwealth levels, including information on Medicare use, pharmaceuticals, hospital stays and deaths. The facility works in such a way as to preserve patient and GP privacy. A strong feature of this research will be the degree of involvement of a representative and voluntary group of older Australian patients who attend GP clinics, and the GPs themselves, in advising the researchers on what's important to consumers and GPs.Read moreRead less
Electronic Portable Health File (PHF) To Promote Quality Of Care And Workflow Through Continuity Of Care
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$694,745.00
Summary
The medical of older individuals with chronicdiseases and with multiple doctors is complex and burdensome for the patient. We have done work where the patient is given charge of a portable personal health record that he-she can update as needed and care givers update at ofiice visits. The preliminary work is positive. Two types have been investigated, an electronic patient health file (on a data stick) and a wallet size booklet. Both have been found accceptable. The goal of this project is to se ....The medical of older individuals with chronicdiseases and with multiple doctors is complex and burdensome for the patient. We have done work where the patient is given charge of a portable personal health record that he-she can update as needed and care givers update at ofiice visits. The preliminary work is positive. Two types have been investigated, an electronic patient health file (on a data stick) and a wallet size booklet. Both have been found accceptable. The goal of this project is to see if short term acceptability and satisfaction will translate into later improved outcomes such as a reduced rate of hospitalizations.Read moreRead less
Regionalised Maternity Care - Is There Room For Improvement?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$467,752.00
Summary
A central dilemma in the provision of maternity care is that some mothers and babies need access to expertise and sophisticated technologies, but most do not. In Australia regionalised maternity care aims to ensure the provision of the appropriate level of care to all women, via antenatal identification of at-risk pregnancies and subsequent transfer to risk-appropriate settings, should the need arise. Furthermore, delayed childbearing and increasing rates of caesarean section are increasing the ....A central dilemma in the provision of maternity care is that some mothers and babies need access to expertise and sophisticated technologies, but most do not. In Australia regionalised maternity care aims to ensure the provision of the appropriate level of care to all women, via antenatal identification of at-risk pregnancies and subsequent transfer to risk-appropriate settings, should the need arise. Furthermore, delayed childbearing and increasing rates of caesarean section are increasing the pool of women with existing medical conditions and risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes. There is an urgent need to identify risk-appropriate levels of maternity care based on women's antenatal conditions and risk factors that can be identified early or during pregnancy. The project will use existing population health data sets to determine to what extent regionalised maternity care is delivering women and their babies in risk-appropriate settings or whether there is room for improvement through increased transfer of at-risk pregnancies to higher levels of care. Variations in outcomes for mothers and babies may be due to factors that occur before or during pregnancy, or may be due to differences in the level of maternity care provided. We need to take account of maternal factors to fairly assess the role of the level of maternity care. To do this our project will develop and utilise innovative statistical techniques to look at the risk factors associated with poor outcomes (severe illness or death) for mothers and their babies. We will then be able to 'predict' outcomes and see if differences between levels of maternity care are real or not. If variations are explained by different levels of care then there is enormous potential for improvement in the provision of maternity services. Results could be applied to direct health services policy and organisational changes to improve maternity care and optimise pregnancy outcomes for a healthy start to life.Read moreRead less