Improving Early Recognition And Response To Symptoms In Acute Cardiovascular Events.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$316,449.00
Summary
An important challenge facing cardiovascular public health is to improve access to treatment for acute events, like heart attacks and stroke, by improving public recognition and the initial response to symptoms. This research aims to extend the current understanding and to evaluate existing and test new interventions in this area. Outcomes from this research will inform the development of future campaigns and interventions aiming to improve symptom recognition and reduce delays in presenting to ....An important challenge facing cardiovascular public health is to improve access to treatment for acute events, like heart attacks and stroke, by improving public recognition and the initial response to symptoms. This research aims to extend the current understanding and to evaluate existing and test new interventions in this area. Outcomes from this research will inform the development of future campaigns and interventions aiming to improve symptom recognition and reduce delays in presenting to hospital for acute cardiovascular events.Read moreRead less
Chronic pain is a common and debilitating condition. One in five people in the Australian community have been found to experience chronic pain at any one time. Although there is no evidence of a consistent increase in rates of chronic pain, the rate of permanent disability has increased dramatically in recent decades. This has contributed to the growing cost of chronic pain. For example, back pain is the most common reason for filing workers' compensation claims and leads to loss of 101.8 millio ....Chronic pain is a common and debilitating condition. One in five people in the Australian community have been found to experience chronic pain at any one time. Although there is no evidence of a consistent increase in rates of chronic pain, the rate of permanent disability has increased dramatically in recent decades. This has contributed to the growing cost of chronic pain. For example, back pain is the most common reason for filing workers' compensation claims and leads to loss of 101.8 million workdays annually. The annual costs of medical care for back pain alone have been estimated at $AUD50 billion in the US and $10 billion in Australia. Not only is chronic pain a considerable economic burden, it is also a considerable personal burden to patients. Pain is one of the strongest predictors of poor quality of life and has consistently been found to be associated with high rates of depression. Although there is a large body of research that investigates what factors are associated with chronic pain, there is surprisingly little research that investigates the mechanisms that cause chronicity. Theories of chronic pain suggest that psychological characteristics increase the propensity for people to develop chronic pain. Specifically, theories argue that those people who tend to be fearful of pain will over-attend to painful sensations and avoid pain-provoking activities and as a result are at risk of developing chronic pain. This study will test those theories. If it is found that over-attending to pain does predispose patients to develop chronic pain, this will have important implications for preventing the development of chronic pain. These findings could help to devise early interventions to prevent chronicity and thereby reduce the economic burden to health services and the emotional burden to patients in terms of reduced quality of life.Read moreRead less
Listen to me, I really am sick! Understanding patient and family perspectives in triggering responses to medical emergencies. This project investigates whether patient and family perspectives are treated as evidence of a deteriorating health state whilst in hospital. Recommendations from this study will inform the development of patient centred strategies to reduce delays in clinician response to physiological deterioration and improve patient safety in hospitals.
Examining the complexity of communication processes across transition points from the emergency department to improve medication safety. Problems in communication contribute significantly to adverse events that lead to serious harm for Australian consumers. Recent data show medication errors account for over 25% of all adverse events, while over 50% of consumers who move across transition points have medication errors relating to their treatment regimen. Financial costs from adverse events are e ....Examining the complexity of communication processes across transition points from the emergency department to improve medication safety. Problems in communication contribute significantly to adverse events that lead to serious harm for Australian consumers. Recent data show medication errors account for over 25% of all adverse events, while over 50% of consumers who move across transition points have medication errors relating to their treatment regimen. Financial costs from adverse events are estimated at around $A2billion/year, which are likely to increase with further complexities involving consumer care. This study will result in new knowledge about communication processes to inform the development of reporting methods and strategies, which positively influence the practices of health professionals in managing medications as consumers move across different environments.Read moreRead less
Preventing Adverse Events in Hospitals. Our research will construct strategies and tools for preventing hospital adverse events and should develop knowledge and expertise about reducing care complications in high risk patients.This research has collaborating partners which are hospitals in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. These form part of the preventative healthcare network with implications for the nation's social and economic fabric through their role in reducing morbidity, mortali ....Preventing Adverse Events in Hospitals. Our research will construct strategies and tools for preventing hospital adverse events and should develop knowledge and expertise about reducing care complications in high risk patients.This research has collaborating partners which are hospitals in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. These form part of the preventative healthcare network with implications for the nation's social and economic fabric through their role in reducing morbidity, mortality and supporting the health of all Australians. Since acquired complications have comparable costs to the healthcare system as that of all other forms of injury combined, there will be substantial benefits to hospitals through reduced costs.Read moreRead less