To implement and evaluate flexible models of palliative care service delivery for terminally ill people living alone at home. Provision of evaluated services for this growing population group will lead to better planning and implementation of care being delivered at home, improved quality of life, increased capacity to die at home, and a reduction in hospitalisations and other health care costs.
A Public Health Framework of Effectiveness: Evaluating the Framework for Telephone Counselling. The demand for telephone counselling is strong and while this form of counselling has face validity, there is no substantive research into its effectiveness for clients. This project aims to adapt the public health model to evaluate processes and outcomes of Lifeline - a generic telephone counselling service in Melbourne. The public health model of effectiveness, will, in turn, also be evaluated.
Strengthening the capacity of public health organisations to deliver effective public health services. In an effort to maintain and improve the health of the population Australia has defined the core public health functions that must be carried out. This project will examine public health infrastructure and capacity in three states - mapping the implementation of core functions, assessing current infrastructure, comparing organisational approaches, and developing measures of local public health ....Strengthening the capacity of public health organisations to deliver effective public health services. In an effort to maintain and improve the health of the population Australia has defined the core public health functions that must be carried out. This project will examine public health infrastructure and capacity in three states - mapping the implementation of core functions, assessing current infrastructure, comparing organisational approaches, and developing measures of local public health capacity. These will then become industry benchmarks to guide investment and interventions, and to assess the quality of these. The project will investigate the context in which core public health functions are successfully delivered and develop tools to measure local capacity and delivery functions.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
Pharmaceutical Promotion: Productive or Problematic? Pharmaceutical promotion is an issue of importance for all Australians. Pharmaceuticals are central to maintaining the health of Australians and with factors such as an ageing population and technological advances the centrality of pharmaceuticals is likely to be consolidated. A major future challenge will be how to provide pharmaceuticals efficiently, equitably and sustainably. Problematic pharmaceutical promotion such as 'disease-mongering' ....Pharmaceutical Promotion: Productive or Problematic? Pharmaceutical promotion is an issue of importance for all Australians. Pharmaceuticals are central to maintaining the health of Australians and with factors such as an ageing population and technological advances the centrality of pharmaceuticals is likely to be consolidated. A major future challenge will be how to provide pharmaceuticals efficiently, equitably and sustainably. Problematic pharmaceutical promotion such as 'disease-mongering' potentially compromises PBS efficiency and threatens sustainability. The proposed project represents a significant empirical contribution to understanding the impact of pharmaceutical promotion on the PBS and will make a significant contribution towards making the PBS sustainableRead moreRead less
Multiple perspectives on sexuality and intimacy post-cancer, leading to the development and evaluation of supportive interventions. In 2006, over 106,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in Australia, impacting on the quality of life of patients and their partners. A significant proportion of couples report cessation of sexual and intimate contact post-cancer, resulting in considerable distress. To date, there has been no examination of this important health concern across a broad range of can ....Multiple perspectives on sexuality and intimacy post-cancer, leading to the development and evaluation of supportive interventions. In 2006, over 106,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in Australia, impacting on the quality of life of patients and their partners. A significant proportion of couples report cessation of sexual and intimate contact post-cancer, resulting in considerable distress. To date, there has been no examination of this important health concern across a broad range of cancer types, from the perspective of patients and their partners. Equally, support services rarely address sexuality issues post-cancer. This project will benefit people with cancer and their partners through examining pathways to distress, and developing programs to facilitate re-negotiation of sexuality and intimacy, post-cancer.Read moreRead less
A Model of Integrated Care for Dependant Older People Living in the Community. This research offers significant economic, health and social benefits. Promoting and maintaining good health and ageing well, ageing productively are national priority areas. Case management and telemedicine are both recognised strategies to support chronic disease self-management. Early intervention can offer significant benefits in morbidity and mortality. Enhanced service delivery using an integrated model encompas ....A Model of Integrated Care for Dependant Older People Living in the Community. This research offers significant economic, health and social benefits. Promoting and maintaining good health and ageing well, ageing productively are national priority areas. Case management and telemedicine are both recognised strategies to support chronic disease self-management. Early intervention can offer significant benefits in morbidity and mortality. Enhanced service delivery using an integrated model encompassing general practitioners, practice nurses and community carers, could improve chronic and complex disease management and reduce health costs.Read moreRead less
ONLINE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM TO PROVIDE SPECIALIST CARE TO RURAL, REMOTE AND UNDESERVED REGIONS
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,475.00
Summary
Our aim is to develop and validate an online health care system to link remote and rural health professionals, facilities and patients into an online community. The proposed online system will provide medical advice and diagnosis, consumer health care information services, support groups, information and distance education for those working in the health care as well as the community and assistance in the operational and medical decision-making process. Less expensive health care personnel shoul ....Our aim is to develop and validate an online health care system to link remote and rural health professionals, facilities and patients into an online community. The proposed online system will provide medical advice and diagnosis, consumer health care information services, support groups, information and distance education for those working in the health care as well as the community and assistance in the operational and medical decision-making process. Less expensive health care personnel should be able to use the system with little training in remote and rural areas. This project will generate knowledge about the practicality of low cost but highly effective e-health system. It will be easier to disseminate health care information and health evaluation processes to patients, doctors, nurses and other health care workers. It will also be possible to obtain information about image resolution, suitable compression algorithms and compression levels for different diseases pathologies.Read moreRead less
Meeting the needs of cancer support group leaders. Social support plays a pivotal role in the psychological adjustment of people with cancer. Support groups provide unique input, but their outcomes are reliant on the quality and sustainability of the leaders. Internationally, little is known about the challenges and unmet needs of cancer support group leaders, or how to best support them. This study will:
a) clarify the needs of cancer group leaders
b) design and evaluate two interventions (mi ....Meeting the needs of cancer support group leaders. Social support plays a pivotal role in the psychological adjustment of people with cancer. Support groups provide unique input, but their outcomes are reliant on the quality and sustainability of the leaders. Internationally, little is known about the challenges and unmet needs of cancer support group leaders, or how to best support them. This study will:
a) clarify the needs of cancer group leaders
b) design and evaluate two interventions (minimal and intense) to meet the needs of leaders.
If successful, this study will provide the evidence on which cancer organizations around the world can base interventions to sustain cancer support group leaders and thus hopefully improve psychological outcomes for cancer patients and their carers.Read moreRead less
Indigenous birth and family: Pathways, places and professionals. The research complements the National Research Priority Goal A Healthy Start to Life and the National Agenda for Early Childhood. These emphasise pregnancy through to five years as critical for later social competence and physical wellbeing. Maternal and infant mortality and morbidity are significantly worse for Indigenous Australians, predisposing them to poorer health and social wellbeing as children and adults, reducing life po ....Indigenous birth and family: Pathways, places and professionals. The research complements the National Research Priority Goal A Healthy Start to Life and the National Agenda for Early Childhood. These emphasise pregnancy through to five years as critical for later social competence and physical wellbeing. Maternal and infant mortality and morbidity are significantly worse for Indigenous Australians, predisposing them to poorer health and social wellbeing as children and adults, reducing life potential and adding costs. This solution-focused research conducted with Aboriginal and health service partners, is theoretically innovative while pragmatic, as we seek to inform reform of services in urban and remote NT communities and learn lessons applicable nationally.Read moreRead less