Using multiple data sources to understand the opioid crisis in Australia . This project aims to improve the quality and integration of population-level data for monitoring the consumption of opioids, licit and illicit, in Queensland communities. The analysis of opioids in wastewater, integrated with opioid use information such as prescription and seizure statistics will vastly increase knowledge of consumption patterns of opioids. By analysing wastewater samples from 2011 and triangulating with ....Using multiple data sources to understand the opioid crisis in Australia . This project aims to improve the quality and integration of population-level data for monitoring the consumption of opioids, licit and illicit, in Queensland communities. The analysis of opioids in wastewater, integrated with opioid use information such as prescription and seizure statistics will vastly increase knowledge of consumption patterns of opioids. By analysing wastewater samples from 2011 and triangulating with other datasets, the expected outcomes include building capacity to estimate consumption of all opioids; detecting the misuse of licit and illicit opioids over time. Anticipated benefit is to provide objective evidence of opioid use patterns for decision makers and a framework for a national opioids monitoring program.Read moreRead less
Impact of cognitive task demands on the accumulation/dissipation of fatigue. Fatigue-related errors and accidents that occur at work cost the Australian economy $5.8 billion every year. Regulators and employers use mathematical models in special software to assess the fatigue risk associated with work schedules based on prior wake, time of day and recent sleep. Incredibly though, these models assume that the demands of your job have no influence on your level of fatigue, i.e., they do not differ ....Impact of cognitive task demands on the accumulation/dissipation of fatigue. Fatigue-related errors and accidents that occur at work cost the Australian economy $5.8 billion every year. Regulators and employers use mathematical models in special software to assess the fatigue risk associated with work schedules based on prior wake, time of day and recent sleep. Incredibly though, these models assume that the demands of your job have no influence on your level of fatigue, i.e., they do not differentiate between sitting quietly at work – and controlling air traffic, performing surgery or driving a truck. This project will improve the models by assessing how mental task demands affect fatigue. Models that are better able to predict fatigue will improve the health, safety and productivity of the Australian workforce.Read moreRead less