Suicide prevention and management of deliberate self-harm: randomised control trial of an assertive engagement, brief psychotherapy and community linkage model. Suicide is the second commonest cause of death by injury in Australia. Suicide prevention is an important public health priority but rates remain high. People who have previously attempted suicide are most likely to kill themselves. Most suicidal people attend emergency departments where they get inadequate treatment for their psychologi ....Suicide prevention and management of deliberate self-harm: randomised control trial of an assertive engagement, brief psychotherapy and community linkage model. Suicide is the second commonest cause of death by injury in Australia. Suicide prevention is an important public health priority but rates remain high. People who have previously attempted suicide are most likely to kill themselves. Most suicidal people attend emergency departments where they get inadequate treatment for their psychological and social problems and remain depressed and suicidal. This project will test the effectiveness of a new psychological and social treatment to reduce the depression and link suicidal people with community supports. If successful, this treatment could be provided in any emergency department and help decrease suicide rates in Australia.Read moreRead less
Overcome Barriers to Optimal Diabetes Management: Randomized Controlled Trial of Education/Consultation Interventions to Improve Self-Management of Diabetes. In addition to improving self care and quality of life in people with diabetes, the cost effectiveness component of the trial will provide other valuable data. Considering that the costs associated with diabetes and other associated health complications (i.e diabetic retinopathy) are estimated to be more than AU$10 billion, our intervention ....Overcome Barriers to Optimal Diabetes Management: Randomized Controlled Trial of Education/Consultation Interventions to Improve Self-Management of Diabetes. In addition to improving self care and quality of life in people with diabetes, the cost effectiveness component of the trial will provide other valuable data. Considering that the costs associated with diabetes and other associated health complications (i.e diabetic retinopathy) are estimated to be more than AU$10 billion, our intervention has a considerable potential to deliver substantial savings to the Australian community. The study will also generate a closer coordination between primary and tertiary care settings. This proposed trial will contribute substantially to future health policies related to personnel, resources and funding allocated to diabetes, eye health and rehabilitation. Read moreRead less
Does Self Management Increase The Effectiveness Of Vocational Rehabilitation For Chronic Compensated Disorders? Workplace injuries result in human suffering and are costly for those injured, employers and the community. For some, the injury results in a chronic disability, a sense of powerlessness, and unemployment. This study will test whether participation in a 'self-management' program improves health and well-being, decreases pain, results in earlier return-to-work and is a more efficient us ....Does Self Management Increase The Effectiveness Of Vocational Rehabilitation For Chronic Compensated Disorders? Workplace injuries result in human suffering and are costly for those injured, employers and the community. For some, the injury results in a chronic disability, a sense of powerlessness, and unemployment. This study will test whether participation in a 'self-management' program improves health and well-being, decreases pain, results in earlier return-to-work and is a more efficient use of resources than usual care in vocational rehabilitation. Self-management programs have been shown to be effective in helping people manage chronic disabling conditions. By adapting the self-management program for this population it is anticipated that the human and financial burden on individuals and society from chronic injuries will be reduced.Read moreRead less
Improving maternal and child health care for women experiencing violence: collaborative development, implementation and effectiveness of a good practice model. Maternal and child health services are universal community-based national services for Australia's mothers and babies. However, they are poorly researched, supported, resourced and lack evidence for managing the challenges of addressing intimate partner violence among their client populations. Partner violence is prevalent in early parent ....Improving maternal and child health care for women experiencing violence: collaborative development, implementation and effectiveness of a good practice model. Maternal and child health services are universal community-based national services for Australia's mothers and babies. However, they are poorly researched, supported, resourced and lack evidence for managing the challenges of addressing intimate partner violence among their client populations. Partner violence is prevalent in early parenthood and imposes a heavy health burden on victims and infants and a significant cost to society. If effective, this innovative model of maternal child health nursing care for abused mothers and infants will inform the enhanced provision of early intervention services nationwide, contribute to community nursing scholarship and give children a healthier start to life.Read moreRead less
The Adoption of Information Technologies by Rural General Practitioners: A Socio-Technical Analysis. Many information technology (IT) products have been developed to support general practitioners (GPs) in aspects of their work (GPSRG, 1998). It is apparent that GPs are not making best use of these systems. The question is: if IT applications have been developed, why are GPs reluctant to use them? This study contrasts two approaches to innovation in researching the adoption of IT by rural gener ....The Adoption of Information Technologies by Rural General Practitioners: A Socio-Technical Analysis. Many information technology (IT) products have been developed to support general practitioners (GPs) in aspects of their work (GPSRG, 1998). It is apparent that GPs are not making best use of these systems. The question is: if IT applications have been developed, why are GPs reluctant to use them? This study contrasts two approaches to innovation in researching the adoption of IT by rural general practitioners. It aims to identify and model socio-technical factors that enable and inhibit the uptake of IT.
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COst-effectiveness analyses of improved adherence to Management PLans among AustralIANS (COMPLIANS). Chronic diseases are the leading cause of disability in the community and over $34billion is spent each year on health services in Australia treating these diseases. It is hoped that the project will lead to identification of opportunities for cost-effective prevention and treatment of lung and other chronic diseases and that this will lead to more cost-effective deployment of healthcare resourc ....COst-effectiveness analyses of improved adherence to Management PLans among AustralIANS (COMPLIANS). Chronic diseases are the leading cause of disability in the community and over $34billion is spent each year on health services in Australia treating these diseases. It is hoped that the project will lead to identification of opportunities for cost-effective prevention and treatment of lung and other chronic diseases and that this will lead to more cost-effective deployment of healthcare resources. Improvements in the management and treatment of these diseases will result in an improvement in the quality of life of Australian patients, and their active and productive participation in society for as long as possible.Read moreRead less
The Evaluation of Stuctures and Processes for Effective Client, Carer and Community Outcomes: A Model for Rural Mental Health Services. The South West Healthcare Area Mental Health Service ( Warnambool) has demonstrated according to key performance indicators, an effective system of service delivery. This evaluative research project seeks to identify key components within the organisational structures and processes of a rural mental health service that contribute to these effective outcomes fo ....The Evaluation of Stuctures and Processes for Effective Client, Carer and Community Outcomes: A Model for Rural Mental Health Services. The South West Healthcare Area Mental Health Service ( Warnambool) has demonstrated according to key performance indicators, an effective system of service delivery. This evaluative research project seeks to identify key components within the organisational structures and processes of a rural mental health service that contribute to these effective outcomes for clients. The research process will test these key components against other rural and urban mental health services in Victoria and will result in the development of a model for rural mental health service delivery of both local and national significance.Read moreRead less
Predicting the evolution of psychosocial and cognitive difficulties in epilepsy: A preventive approach. Chronic epilepsy is associated with significant psychosocial and cognitive difficulties. Research has neglected to examine how these problems evolve from the time of a first seizure, limiting our ability to predict ?at risk? patients and apply evidence-based preventive strategies. We will follow a cohort of 90 first seizure patients over two years in a prospective longitudinal investigation, m ....Predicting the evolution of psychosocial and cognitive difficulties in epilepsy: A preventive approach. Chronic epilepsy is associated with significant psychosocial and cognitive difficulties. Research has neglected to examine how these problems evolve from the time of a first seizure, limiting our ability to predict ?at risk? patients and apply evidence-based preventive strategies. We will follow a cohort of 90 first seizure patients over two years in a prospective longitudinal investigation, mapping psychosocial and cognitive change. This study entails a multidisciplinary collaboration with industry, applying innovative psychosocial and cognitive measures that will ultimately improve the detection of adverse pharmaceutical side-effects. The project is an international first, and will provide an important foundation for implementing preventive healthcare.Read moreRead less
Assessing risk factors and service needs for homelessness: Perspectives of homeless people and health service providers. This study will examine the risk factors and service needs for homelessness from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders. The aims are to develop and evaluate a risk assessment tool for use in the emergency department and upon discharge; to test the tool for its ability to predict the possibility of future hospital admission and the types of patients who would benefit from r ....Assessing risk factors and service needs for homelessness: Perspectives of homeless people and health service providers. This study will examine the risk factors and service needs for homelessness from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders. The aims are to develop and evaluate a risk assessment tool for use in the emergency department and upon discharge; to test the tool for its ability to predict the possibility of future hospital admission and the types of patients who would benefit from referrals; and to develop best practice guidelines. This innovative study, which seeks to implement and evaluate a collaborative approach in the provision of treatment, will contribute to ensuring a high standard of care for individuals experiencing homelessness.Read moreRead less
Improving safety and quality: psychosocial influences of managing medicines by consumers with chronic health problems. Many Australians have multiple chronic conditions that require complex prescribed medicine regimens to control symptoms and prevent further illness. Long-term health outcomes depend on how well consumers manage their medicines. This project will contribute to the development and evaluation of a medicine self-management training package to help consumers understand and manage the ....Improving safety and quality: psychosocial influences of managing medicines by consumers with chronic health problems. Many Australians have multiple chronic conditions that require complex prescribed medicine regimens to control symptoms and prevent further illness. Long-term health outcomes depend on how well consumers manage their medicines. This project will contribute to the development and evaluation of a medicine self-management training package to help consumers understand and manage their complex medication regimens. Optimal medicine self-management improves the consumer's general wellbeing and benefits the Australian community through promoting good health and reducing health care costs.Read moreRead less