Enhancing Mental Health In Aboriginal People: Reducing Violence And Developing Resilience
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,771,151.00
Summary
This project aims to determine the best ways to improve the Social Emotional Well Being (SEWB) of the Aboriginal people of Broken Hill, Menindee and Wilcannia. This project will develop a culturally appropriate and evidenced based intervention to break the cycle of ongoing grief, mental illness, alcohol and other drugs and violence. The project will proceed in a number of interrelated phases including extensive community consultations and a baseline survey. The project will then implement and ev ....This project aims to determine the best ways to improve the Social Emotional Well Being (SEWB) of the Aboriginal people of Broken Hill, Menindee and Wilcannia. This project will develop a culturally appropriate and evidenced based intervention to break the cycle of ongoing grief, mental illness, alcohol and other drugs and violence. The project will proceed in a number of interrelated phases including extensive community consultations and a baseline survey. The project will then implement and evaluate an intervention program that provides a community and individual program that adopts evidence-based approaches and modifies them to be acceptable within Aboriginal communities. These interventions aim to break the cycle of violence and mental health problems by teaching adaptive skills to reduce violent behaviours and by providing mental health interventions that reduce disorders that contribute to violence.Read moreRead less
Outcomes Of Best Practice Diagnosis And Management Of Dementia In General Practice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$826,744.00
Summary
The outcome of this study will be new Australian data on what happens to people with dementia under the care of their GP, followed up for two years. In addition we will test the results for patients and carers of GP adherence to best practice for diagnosis and management of dementia. This is a 3-state randomised intervention trial in general practice which aims to add an extra year to an already funded study examining the outcomes for carers and patients of training GPs with extra skills in deme ....The outcome of this study will be new Australian data on what happens to people with dementia under the care of their GP, followed up for two years. In addition we will test the results for patients and carers of GP adherence to best practice for diagnosis and management of dementia. This is a 3-state randomised intervention trial in general practice which aims to add an extra year to an already funded study examining the outcomes for carers and patients of training GPs with extra skills in dementia screening and management guidelines. Outcomes for those GPs who adhere to the guidelines will be compared to outcomes for those GPs who do not. Patient and carer outcomes – include quality of life, depression, satisfaction with care and referral indicators, and patient pathways of care over the 24 month period will be recorded. In addition the study will examine barriers and enablers to GP best practice in dementia care.Read moreRead less
Gene - Environment Interactions As Predictors Of Clinical Outcome In At Risk Mental State
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,033,620.00
Summary
The grant aims to identify the interactive genetic, clinical and environmental determinants involved in the development, severity and outcome of schizophrenia. Translation to clinical practice will be facilitated by experimental and risk assessment bioinformatics research. This will enable the (i) identification of modifiable biological and cognitive mechanisms and (ii) construction of tools which can be used for the early prediction of transition to psychotic disorder and outcome monitoring. Th ....The grant aims to identify the interactive genetic, clinical and environmental determinants involved in the development, severity and outcome of schizophrenia. Translation to clinical practice will be facilitated by experimental and risk assessment bioinformatics research. This will enable the (i) identification of modifiable biological and cognitive mechanisms and (ii) construction of tools which can be used for the early prediction of transition to psychotic disorder and outcome monitoring. This study will identify the factors that translate genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia into overt illness. The key risk factors of stress and substance use and other environmental features will be studied as part of randomised clinical trials in young people with early symptoms who are at immediate risk of schizophrenia. This study forms part of a much larger international program of research focusing on clarifying how the vulnerability to schizophrenia develops and how it can ultimately be preventedRead moreRead less
In virtually every major industry, quality improvement has been based on measuring and monitoring performance. There is good evidence to show that when processes and outcome data is measured and compared, improvements are made. Healthcare has been slow to introduce systematic measurement across the sector, however internationally this is rapidly changing. In Australia, we have data available to measure quality and safety; however it is not collected systematically or consistently between states ....In virtually every major industry, quality improvement has been based on measuring and monitoring performance. There is good evidence to show that when processes and outcome data is measured and compared, improvements are made. Healthcare has been slow to introduce systematic measurement across the sector, however internationally this is rapidly changing. In Australia, we have data available to measure quality and safety; however it is not collected systematically or consistently between states and territories. Our aim is to develop a national set of high quality, credible indicators using existing data sources to measure healthcare performance in regard to safety and quality in clinical practice. We propose a “probes in the pudding” approach, where each probe measures the performance of one aspect of the healthcare system. Coded administrative hospital data collected mainly for financial reasons has potential to be used as quality indicators. However, to provide an accurate picture, indicators must take into account people’s risk factors over which the doctor has no control but which can influence outcome. For example, a hospital in an area surrounded by a principally elderly population would be more likely to have a higher death rate than a hospital admitting younger patients. In effect, indicators must compare apples with apples. We will further test ways in which clinical patient information databases can be linked to develop quality indicators. For example, by linking pharmacy data with hospital data we can monitor whether patients are receiving appropriate medication. The most reliable data for use in measuring quality exists in registries, which have been established for a number of procedures and conditions in Australia. We will investigate ways in which registries can be better standardised at a national level. We will compare registry data with administrative hospital data to investigate how quality indicators can be developed which provide an accurate picture of the health system. This program will succeed because it can be implemented at a low cost using data readily available in most Australian health settings. The group doing the research consists of consumer advocates and people with knowledge in the use of administrative data and registries, health policy, law, research design and statistics.Read moreRead less
Changing Patterns Of Work: Impacts On Physical And Mental Health And The Meditating Role Of Resiliency And Social Capital
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,140,342.00
Summary
This project will provide, for the first time in Australia, a detailed understanding of the impact of the changing forms of employment and unemployment on overall health. It will provide original insights into what aspects of the employment relation help or harm health, and on what enables some people to escape the harm that others experience. This will provide vital information to underpin policies designed to gain the benefits of a flexible workplace, with minimum harm to workers.
Models Of Care To Address Unmet Of Older Indigenous With Dementia Their Families And Communites Living In Remote WA
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,081,060.00
Summary
The health and unmet needs of older Indigenous people, particularly in remote and rural areas is generally under researched. It is well known that the life expectancy of indigenous people is approximately 20 years younger than non-Indigenous counterparts. Many illnesses generally experienced by non Indigenous people in older ages (e.g. 75 years) are seen at a much younger age in Indigenous populations. These conditions include dementia, falls, incontinence, premature heart disease and strokes. O ....The health and unmet needs of older Indigenous people, particularly in remote and rural areas is generally under researched. It is well known that the life expectancy of indigenous people is approximately 20 years younger than non-Indigenous counterparts. Many illnesses generally experienced by non Indigenous people in older ages (e.g. 75 years) are seen at a much younger age in Indigenous populations. These conditions include dementia, falls, incontinence, premature heart disease and strokes. Over the last 4 years the applicants of this project have started to address some of the health related problems faced by older Indigenous people, particularly the challenging area of dementia. The authors have developed a culturally appropriate assessment tool to help determine if an older Indigenous person has dementia. This has been very successful and is now frequently used by health professionals in remote and rural areas of Australia. A survey is in the final stages of completion to determine the estimated number of people in remote areas of the Kimberley who manifest signs and symptoms of dementia and associated old age diseases. Preliminary data sadly indicate that the frequency of dementia is higher than expected for people of this age group. The next phase of this project is to determine the unmet needs of this vulnerable group, by interviewing those with dementia and their families, communities and service providers in remote areas of Kimberley and Pilbara. This will determine culturally appropriate and practical ways to provide care to assist those with this condition and their families and communities.Read moreRead less
Case Conferencing, Quality Of Life And Palliative Care For Clients From Remote Communities In The Northern Territory
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$42,750.00
Summary
This project addresses an area in the delivery of palliative care in rural and remote Top End of the NT, where research is seriously lacking. It will focus on the relationship between quality of life and communication between health providers and palliative clients and their carers. The conduit of communication will be case conferences and family conferences. There has been some research that reflects that case conferencing (in urban areas) in palliative care leads to improved quality of life (M ....This project addresses an area in the delivery of palliative care in rural and remote Top End of the NT, where research is seriously lacking. It will focus on the relationship between quality of life and communication between health providers and palliative clients and their carers. The conduit of communication will be case conferences and family conferences. There has been some research that reflects that case conferencing (in urban areas) in palliative care leads to improved quality of life (Mitchell 2006). This project will be assessing whether there is a similar association between quality of life and case conferencing in rural and remote Northern Territory. The project will also assess the dynamics of communication between palliative clients and their carers and the health providers.Read moreRead less