Learning strategies for personal agents to assist professional users in searching the Web. Many professional groups have large unmet information needs, with significant consequences for the public. We will take a novel strategy-based approach to the design of agents that assist humans in information search tasks, which represents a significant departure from the dominant paradigm of content-based retrieval. Our goal is to develop automated methods to learn task specific search strategies, embed ....Learning strategies for personal agents to assist professional users in searching the Web. Many professional groups have large unmet information needs, with significant consequences for the public. We will take a novel strategy-based approach to the design of agents that assist humans in information search tasks, which represents a significant departure from the dominant paradigm of content-based retrieval. Our goal is to develop automated methods to learn task specific search strategies, embed them in agents, and use them to guide human-agent interactions and search behaviours. To discover the effectiveness of our approach we will evaluate our methods with health care professionals.Read moreRead less
Engineering safe decision support systems for healthcare. System safety is critical to the success of large-scale computerisation being undertaken to improve the quality of health services delivery worldwide. The research program will develop innovative tools and methods to improve the safety of clinical information systems. The focus on electronic prescribing systems will ensure that the outcomes of this research will have immediate impact on reducing medication errors which are a significant p ....Engineering safe decision support systems for healthcare. System safety is critical to the success of large-scale computerisation being undertaken to improve the quality of health services delivery worldwide. The research program will develop innovative tools and methods to improve the safety of clinical information systems. The focus on electronic prescribing systems will ensure that the outcomes of this research will have immediate impact on reducing medication errors which are a significant public health issue both nationally and internationally. Read moreRead less
An knowledge-based approach to multi-document text summarisation for automated meta-analysis of the scientific literature. The biomedical sciences produce literature at an exponential rate, and the size of this knowledge base far exceeds the capacity of humans to keep up with the growth in new knowledge. This project will develop computational text summarisation methods to abstract the content of scientific journal articles reporting clinical trials, and develop multi-document summarisation meth ....An knowledge-based approach to multi-document text summarisation for automated meta-analysis of the scientific literature. The biomedical sciences produce literature at an exponential rate, and the size of this knowledge base far exceeds the capacity of humans to keep up with the growth in new knowledge. This project will develop computational text summarisation methods to abstract the content of scientific journal articles reporting clinical trials, and develop multi-document summarisation methods to synthesise these abstracts using automated statistical meta-analysis methods. These methods have broad potential to improve text-summarisation technologies in general, to profoundly enhance our ability to integrate published knowledge, and to make a highly significant and specific contribution to improving the quality of evidence used in health decision-making. Read moreRead less
Multi-dimensional Temporal Abstraction to Support Neonatal Clinical Research. Each year, the death of a baby causes grief for thousands of Australian parents, contributes to depression and considerable anxiety in the population. In this work we propose procedures that will significantly reduce this unhappy scenario. The availability of a complex trend and pattern analysis will give Neonatologists access to predictive clinical analysis that has not previously been available locally or internation ....Multi-dimensional Temporal Abstraction to Support Neonatal Clinical Research. Each year, the death of a baby causes grief for thousands of Australian parents, contributes to depression and considerable anxiety in the population. In this work we propose procedures that will significantly reduce this unhappy scenario. The availability of a complex trend and pattern analysis will give Neonatologists access to predictive clinical analysis that has not previously been available locally or internationally. Thus, significant benefits in terms of lower mortality rates and lower long-term disability rates among babies requiring special care is possible. This research will provide the basis for future projects that will support regional hospitals.Read moreRead less
Building an ethical and sustainable model for health professional recruitment to Australia: A case study of the Philippines. This study will lead to an evidence-based ethical workforce plan for the recruitment of nurses from the Philippines to work in Queensland Health to improve access to health services. The model will be embedded in an integrity system that will ensure transparency and accountability in the employment of overseas-trained health professionals. This will strengthen the governan ....Building an ethical and sustainable model for health professional recruitment to Australia: A case study of the Philippines. This study will lead to an evidence-based ethical workforce plan for the recruitment of nurses from the Philippines to work in Queensland Health to improve access to health services. The model will be embedded in an integrity system that will ensure transparency and accountability in the employment of overseas-trained health professionals. This will strengthen the governance of the health care systems and nursing professions of both countries.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
Improving cancer treatment systems: a randomised controlled trial of a consumer action model for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The project aims to assess the effectiveness of a model for improving cancer treatment systems, which emphasises meaningful engagement of cancer consumers in identifying, implementing and evaluating strategies of change. System changes are expected to reduce patients' unmet supportive care needs and improve overall quality of life.
A study investigating the feasibility of implementing a national approach to child and family health services. Understanding and strengthening the way in which universal health services are provided to pregnant women, children and families has the potential to impact over a million Australian families annually. The findings of this study will have national application as federal, state and territory governments work towards implementing a national approach to child and family health services. Th ....A study investigating the feasibility of implementing a national approach to child and family health services. Understanding and strengthening the way in which universal health services are provided to pregnant women, children and families has the potential to impact over a million Australian families annually. The findings of this study will have national application as federal, state and territory governments work towards implementing a national approach to child and family health services. The findings will inform effective multidisciplinary collaboration and service integration, address service gaps and duplication and lead to increased access to services. This study will generate new knowledge about characteristics of organisations, service delivery and professions that facilitate or hinder innovation.Read moreRead less
Organisational change in healthcare: Determinants of effective clinical networks. This research will be internationally leading and place Australia at the forefront of research into organisational change in health care. Developing innovative health care organisational structures, such as clinical networks, has the potential to improve the effectiveness of health care and to reduce costs. Benefits for the community will flow from this project through informed decision making about the best ways t ....Organisational change in healthcare: Determinants of effective clinical networks. This research will be internationally leading and place Australia at the forefront of research into organisational change in health care. Developing innovative health care organisational structures, such as clinical networks, has the potential to improve the effectiveness of health care and to reduce costs. Benefits for the community will flow from this project through informed decision making about the best ways to bring about organisational change in health care. The results of this study will have immediate application to the organisational strategies of the Greater Metropolitan Clinical Taskforce and other national government health care agencies that implement organisational change through clinical networks. Read moreRead less
Developing Best Practice for Settlement Services for Refugee Women-at-Risk. As one of the few countries offering a Woman-at-Risk visa category, Australia is committed to providing support to this vulnerable group during the process of settlement. Each year, approximately $17 million is allocated to women at risk to assist with the process of settlement; however, there is a paucity of research to inform settlement practice specific to this group. This project aims to understand the determinants o ....Developing Best Practice for Settlement Services for Refugee Women-at-Risk. As one of the few countries offering a Woman-at-Risk visa category, Australia is committed to providing support to this vulnerable group during the process of settlement. Each year, approximately $17 million is allocated to women at risk to assist with the process of settlement; however, there is a paucity of research to inform settlement practice specific to this group. This project aims to understand the determinants of psychosocial wellbeing for women-at-risk during settlement and to draw upon the ecological model of community psychology to inform the design and delivery of settlement services for this group.Read moreRead less