The Effectiveness Of A Community Based Program For Reducing The Incidence Of Falls Among The Elderly:A Randomized Trial.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$206,604.00
Summary
Falls are the leading cause of hospitalization due to injury in elderly people, and are associated with substantial medical and rehabilitation costs, as well as social isolation and premature institutionalization for a significant number of people who fall. This study aims to reduce the economic and social burden of falls. A randomized controlled trial will evaluate the impact of a community based falls prevention program (C-BF) with an at-risk elderly population. The intervention is designed to ....Falls are the leading cause of hospitalization due to injury in elderly people, and are associated with substantial medical and rehabilitation costs, as well as social isolation and premature institutionalization for a significant number of people who fall. This study aims to reduce the economic and social burden of falls. A randomized controlled trial will evaluate the impact of a community based falls prevention program (C-BF) with an at-risk elderly population. The intervention is designed to improve elderly people's capacity to follow through with effective falls prevention strategies and to manage risks in their everyday lives, and hence to reduce the rate at which they experience falls. The outcome of this project will be a user friendly manual that will document the program in enough detail so that it can be easily implemented by health care professionals.Read moreRead less
Transdisciplinary Stroke Assessment: Can It Improve Allied Health Efficiency And Care On An Acute Stroke Unit?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$106,268.00
Summary
This study will evaluate a new way of effectively delivering allied health assessment on Acute Stroke Units. It will compare current practice (multiple discipline-specific assessments) to a new transdisciplinary assessment (one allied health assessment) on the Mater Hospital Brisbane Acute Stroke Unit. It is anticipated that the transdisciplinary assessment will be more time-efficient, cost-saving, improve quality of care, increase patient/staff satisfaction, and build inter-professional trust.
Lifestyle (LIFE) Versus Structured Balance And Strength Training To Reduce Falls In The Elderly: A Randomized Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$650,968.00
Summary
Thirty to thirty five percent of persons who are 70 or older fall each year. The magnitude of problems as a result of falling is reflected by the fact that the costs of fall injuries of the elderly to the health system is already more than double that of road injury. It is estimated that these costs will rise substantially and alarmingly in the next 30 to 50 years if we cannot find effective and sustainable ways to make an impact on the incidence of falls in older people. The aim of this project ....Thirty to thirty five percent of persons who are 70 or older fall each year. The magnitude of problems as a result of falling is reflected by the fact that the costs of fall injuries of the elderly to the health system is already more than double that of road injury. It is estimated that these costs will rise substantially and alarmingly in the next 30 to 50 years if we cannot find effective and sustainable ways to make an impact on the incidence of falls in older people. The aim of this project is to improve the capacity of people living at home to avoid falls. The project will evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated lifestyle approach to balance and strength exercise (LIFE) and a structured balance and strength exercise program to reducing falls in people who are at high risk . The control group will comprise a gentle flexibility exercise program as this is known to have no effect on reducing falls. In the lifestyle approach (LIFE), older people will be taught how to do balance and strength training and integrate it into their lifestyle so that it is embedded within their daily activity and weekly routines. It is expected that this integrated lifestyle approach to balance and strength training will be effective in reducing falls and will be sustainable over a a one-year period. This study will also determine for which groups of people LIFE is most effective . The research is a three-arm randomized trial that will be conducted with 381 people who are 70 years or over, who have experienced at least two falls in the past year or had an injurious fall. The notion of balance training is not well understood by allied health professionals or older people - a product of this project will be an alternative balance and strength intervention (LIFE) that offers, in a user friendly and simplified manner, a way of operationalizing the principles of balance and strength training for use by older people within their daily lives.Read moreRead less
Task-sharing For Cardiovascular Disease Management - Improving Access To Healthcare
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$419,179.00
Summary
The primary focus of this research program is to develop high quality research, designed to evaluate and provide evidence for the management of cardiovascular disease using ïtask-sharingÍ as a model of care. The specific objective is: To evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of innovative task-sharing models of care through conducting cluster randomised trials in high and middle income countries.
The Impact Of Living Kidney Donation On Donor-recipient Relationships
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$99,684.00
Summary
The purpose of this study is to explore the expectations and experiences of the impact of living kidney donation on donor-recipient relationships. There is very little research on this topic. This study will use qualitative methodology (face-to-face interviews and diary entries) to inform the design of written-booklet support resources which will subsequently be evaluated. This can help to improve and protect donor and recipient outcomes in living kidney donation.
Can Shoe Inserts Reduce The Burden Of Kneecap Osteoarthritis?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$644,550.00
Summary
Kneecap arthritis is a leading cause of pain, disability and health expenditure in the Australian community. ‘Off-the-shelf’ shoe inserts are simple, low-cost devices that can reduce kneecap pain in young adults, and are accessible to all Australians. This project investigates whether ‘off-the-shelf’ shoe inserts improve pain in older adults with kneecap arthritis over 12 months, and evaluates the relationship between cost and patient benefits.
Integration Of Exercise Counselling And Support Into The Musculoskeletal Help Line For People With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Mixed-methods Evaluation Of A Novel Telephone Service.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$437,099.00
Summary
Exercise is an important part of self-management for people with knee osteoarthritis, however access to qualified clinicians is limited for many Australians with knee osteoarthritis. In addition, most exercise providers are not adequately trained to motivate and support people to effectively incorporate exercise into their life on a long-term basis. This project will implement and evaluate a telephone-based exercise counselling and support service for people with knee osteoarthritis.
Unloading Shoes For Knee Osteoarthritis: A Double-blind Randomised Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$772,743.00
Summary
This is a clinical trial that will evaluate the effectiveness of unloading shoes for managing the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. This trial will evaluate whether unloading shoes can reduce pain and physical dysfunction, compared to control (non-unloading) shoes, after 6 months. Patient characteristics that may influence the effectiveness of the unloading shoes will also be evaluated. If effective, unloading shoes could be made commercially available as a self-management strategy to patients wi ....This is a clinical trial that will evaluate the effectiveness of unloading shoes for managing the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. This trial will evaluate whether unloading shoes can reduce pain and physical dysfunction, compared to control (non-unloading) shoes, after 6 months. Patient characteristics that may influence the effectiveness of the unloading shoes will also be evaluated. If effective, unloading shoes could be made commercially available as a self-management strategy to patients with knee osteoarthritis .Read moreRead less
Implementation Of Innovative Strategies For CVD Secondary Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$476,728.00
Summary
Heart disease is the leading cause of death and disease globally. The resulting social and economic burden is of growing concern and the demand for efficient care is intensifying. My research aims to implement innovative, scalable and efficient strategies to improve outcomes for people living with heart disease. Specifically, my research will evaluate how text messaging and mobile apps can strengthen patient-level behaviour change and how data can be used to strengthen health service delivery.
Musculoskeletal injuries sustained as a consequence of road traffic crashes are common and costly to the Australian community. Many people do not recover well after the injury but suffer ongoing pain and disability. The Centre for Research Excellence in Recovery Following Road Traffic Injury will target a clear need to improve health outcomes for injured individuals through research, capacity building and end-user engagement with a focus in primary care.