The Intended and Unintended Impact of Policy for Adaptive Policy Management. The project aims to advance knowledge about the intended and unintended consequences of policy on health and well-being. It expects to innovate through new methods and novel data to integrate policy evaluation into the policy cycle in a timely fashion to prevent harm from occurring. It also leverages technology to track policy effects in real time. Expected outcomes of this project include new knowledge and enhanced pol ....The Intended and Unintended Impact of Policy for Adaptive Policy Management. The project aims to advance knowledge about the intended and unintended consequences of policy on health and well-being. It expects to innovate through new methods and novel data to integrate policy evaluation into the policy cycle in a timely fashion to prevent harm from occurring. It also leverages technology to track policy effects in real time. Expected outcomes of this project include new knowledge and enhanced policy infrastructure using new methods and interdisciplinary approaches. Significant benefits include improvements to: (1) policy management by government departments; (2) the health and wellbeing of the Australians they serve; (3) our Partners' capacity to consult governments on how technology can assist policy management. Read moreRead less
Motor vehicle injuries: economic evaluation of a new treatment modality. The management of injured persons following motor vehicle accidents is a serious health issue in Australia, with over 60,000 minor injuries and 20,000 major injuries occurring annually. This project will provide a cost-effectiveness analysis of a new multidisciplinary approach to managing minor injuries by utilising data from the Accident Care Evaluation (ACE) trial of a new clinic being tested for this purpose.
The Evaluation of Stuctures and Processes for Effective Client, Carer and Community Outcomes: A Model for Rural Mental Health Services. The South West Healthcare Area Mental Health Service ( Warnambool) has demonstrated according to key performance indicators, an effective system of service delivery. This evaluative research project seeks to identify key components within the organisational structures and processes of a rural mental health service that contribute to these effective outcomes fo ....The Evaluation of Stuctures and Processes for Effective Client, Carer and Community Outcomes: A Model for Rural Mental Health Services. The South West Healthcare Area Mental Health Service ( Warnambool) has demonstrated according to key performance indicators, an effective system of service delivery. This evaluative research project seeks to identify key components within the organisational structures and processes of a rural mental health service that contribute to these effective outcomes for clients. The research process will test these key components against other rural and urban mental health services in Victoria and will result in the development of a model for rural mental health service delivery of both local and national significance.Read moreRead less
Investigating consumer partnerships in the context of complex health service delivery. Whilst increased consumer participation has been demonstrated to improve health outcomes, there has been no translation to people with chronic illness using acute care services. People with chronic conditions represent an increasing proportion of health care consumers and due to the existence of co-morbidities their needs are usually complex. Despite this, they have been marginalised in the current development ....Investigating consumer partnerships in the context of complex health service delivery. Whilst increased consumer participation has been demonstrated to improve health outcomes, there has been no translation to people with chronic illness using acute care services. People with chronic conditions represent an increasing proportion of health care consumers and due to the existence of co-morbidities their needs are usually complex. Despite this, they have been marginalised in the current development of participatory models of service delivery. This project will investigate the determinants of participation for consumers during episodes of acute health care, identify barriers to their participation, and develop testable strategies for increasing effective consumer participation in acute health care services.Read moreRead less
Patient and nurse outcomes and the cost of nurses' turnover in Australian hospitals. An adequate supply of nurses is fundamental to all of the National Health Priority disease areas where quality care cannot be delivered without an adequate number of motivated nurses. Designing cost-effective methods of retaining nurses requires understanding reasons why they leave the workforce and the impact this has on patient care and system costs. The findings will assist policy makers and workforce planner ....Patient and nurse outcomes and the cost of nurses' turnover in Australian hospitals. An adequate supply of nurses is fundamental to all of the National Health Priority disease areas where quality care cannot be delivered without an adequate number of motivated nurses. Designing cost-effective methods of retaining nurses requires understanding reasons why they leave the workforce and the impact this has on patient care and system costs. The findings will assist policy makers and workforce planners at both local and national levels, to design strategies to effectively recruit and retain nurses as demands for health care and market competition for staff both increase.Read moreRead less
Improving Birth Outcomes in China: consequences and potentials of policy, state and professional interactions. The aim of the project is to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with birth by informing health systems improvement in China. We will develop an innovative methodology to study consequences of policy, state and professional interactions on birth outcomes. This work is also relevant in other settings. Macro economic reforms in China have produced paradoxical disparities between ri ....Improving Birth Outcomes in China: consequences and potentials of policy, state and professional interactions. The aim of the project is to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with birth by informing health systems improvement in China. We will develop an innovative methodology to study consequences of policy, state and professional interactions on birth outcomes. This work is also relevant in other settings. Macro economic reforms in China have produced paradoxical disparities between rich and poor and urban and rural populations evident in maternal morbidity and mortality. Results will inform facilitative policies and models of service to optimise safety and increase effectiveness in deployment of human and monetary resources.Read moreRead less
Bayesian statistical models for understanding outcomes and improving decision-making for women screened for breast cancer. This project has two key benefits: (i) the development of frontier statistical methods for spatio-temporal analysis and data synthesis, which are imperative in a wide range of disciplines; and (ii) the application of these methods for improved understanding of breast cancer outcomes for women screened in Queensland. The project results will lead to direct health and financi ....Bayesian statistical models for understanding outcomes and improving decision-making for women screened for breast cancer. This project has two key benefits: (i) the development of frontier statistical methods for spatio-temporal analysis and data synthesis, which are imperative in a wide range of disciplines; and (ii) the application of these methods for improved understanding of breast cancer outcomes for women screened in Queensland. The project results will lead to direct health and financial benefits through targeted policies for increasing screening uptake and reducing cancer morbidity and mortality and therefore health spending in this area. Importantly, the project represents an excellent training opportunity to develop a PhD candidate into an experienced interdisciplinary researcher.Read moreRead less
Does Self Management Increase The Effectiveness Of Vocational Rehabilitation For Chronic Compensated Disorders? Workplace injuries result in human suffering and are costly for those injured, employers and the community. For some, the injury results in a chronic disability, a sense of powerlessness, and unemployment. This study will test whether participation in a 'self-management' program improves health and well-being, decreases pain, results in earlier return-to-work and is a more efficient us ....Does Self Management Increase The Effectiveness Of Vocational Rehabilitation For Chronic Compensated Disorders? Workplace injuries result in human suffering and are costly for those injured, employers and the community. For some, the injury results in a chronic disability, a sense of powerlessness, and unemployment. This study will test whether participation in a 'self-management' program improves health and well-being, decreases pain, results in earlier return-to-work and is a more efficient use of resources than usual care in vocational rehabilitation. Self-management programs have been shown to be effective in helping people manage chronic disabling conditions. By adapting the self-management program for this population it is anticipated that the human and financial burden on individuals and society from chronic injuries will be reduced.Read moreRead less
Establishment of Therapeutically Relevant Animal Models and Markers for Crohn's Disease. Crohn's disease is a devastating life long disease, affecting 0.5% of the world population. There is urgent economic and social need to develop new and better drugs to treat the symptoms and underlying cause of this debilitating disease. Social benefits include the improved quality of life of sufferers that positively impacts society. Economic benefit includes income derived from commercialisation of rese ....Establishment of Therapeutically Relevant Animal Models and Markers for Crohn's Disease. Crohn's disease is a devastating life long disease, affecting 0.5% of the world population. There is urgent economic and social need to develop new and better drugs to treat the symptoms and underlying cause of this debilitating disease. Social benefits include the improved quality of life of sufferers that positively impacts society. Economic benefit includes income derived from commercialisation of research outcomes and the contribution this project makes to high value employment in the biotechnology sector.Read moreRead less
The impact of adding nursing support workers (assistants in nursing) to patient, nurse and system (ward) level outcomes. This project will identify the impact of adding nursing support workers on outcomes for patients (morbidity, mortality, quality of emotional care); staff (job satisfaction, intention to remain in the job); and the work environment (time spent in patient care, relationships with medical staff, staff experiences, leadership and support of workers).