Improving Asthma Control: General Practice Strategies To Optimise Medication Adherence
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$460,820.00
Summary
Asthma is a major health problem for Australia. Many patients have frequent symptoms and need urgent health care because they do not use a preventer inhaler regularly. This may be intentional e.g. fear of side-effects, and-or unintentional e.g. forgetting. This real-life study will test two simple strategies for GPs to improve their patients' use of preventer medications, to improve asthma control. Innovative technology will allow GPs to tailor the approach to each patient during a normal visit.
Patient-centred EHealth Approach To Improving Outcomes For Gout Sufferers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$688,354.00
Summary
Gout, caused by excessive urate, can be controlled by prescribing medication and patients adhering to them. We will conduct a 2-year controlled trial in primary care to test an eHealth tool to significantly improve gout patient outcomes. This tool tracks patients plasma urate, medication adherence, gout attacks and provides education, interaction with gout experts and reminders of medical visits. Nationwide rollout of this gout management tool will occur after improved outcomes are proven.
Asking The Right Questions About Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In Children: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$484,930.00
Summary
This study will evaluate the impact of a novel question prompt list (QPL) for parents of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), on their communication with their child’s doctor, and health outcomes such as adherence. The QPL aims to increase parent question asking and information sharing between clinicians and parents; improve parents’ ADHD knowledge across the developmental lifespan of their child; and thus improve adherence to medication in children with ADHD.
A Randomised Controlled Trial Of Evidence Based Medicine In The Management Of Hypertension
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$319,475.00
Summary
Hypertension is a major condition managed in general practice. The condition is under diagnosed and under treated. Where hypertension is treated, it is often with drugs that are expensive rather than with equally efficacious inexpensive drugs. Hypertension is associated with higher risk of stroke, coronary artery disease, cardiac failure, renal disease and peripheral vascular disease. Clear evidence-based information has been available for some years that provide reasonably guidelines to practit ....Hypertension is a major condition managed in general practice. The condition is under diagnosed and under treated. Where hypertension is treated, it is often with drugs that are expensive rather than with equally efficacious inexpensive drugs. Hypertension is associated with higher risk of stroke, coronary artery disease, cardiac failure, renal disease and peripheral vascular disease. Clear evidence-based information has been available for some years that provide reasonably guidelines to practitioners of the treatment thresholds for hypertension. However, the incorporation of this evidence into general practice has been slow. This project will build upon extensive pilot work to create a system to collect diagnostic, treatment and outcome data from general practice patients. The use of peer-compared feedback, particularly related to a readily understandable health outcome measure such as blood pressure, can change clinical behaviour when provided to the treating clinician. The aim of this project is to show whether or not training in the use of an evidence-based guideline to assist doctors in the decision of whether or not to initiate antihypertensive treatment, and to provide guidance on the type of treatment, leads to better outcomes than that of feedback alone. A cost-benefit analysis will clarify the impact of guideline implementation on health care costs. The incorporation into the cost-benefit analysis of patients perceptions of treatment by doctors using a guideline will show how such practice, compared with standard care, is valued by patients. While the project will focus on hypertension, the database members will continue to develop the research capability of the database, and expand it to incorporate a range of evidence-based information to improve the quality of care for other conditions. The database could achieve an expanding and sustainable influence on the quality of primary health care.Read moreRead less