INTroducing A Care Bundle To Prevent Pressure Injury (the INTACT Trial)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,093,250.00
Summary
In Australia, hospital acquired pressure injuries (i.e. bedsores) range from 7.4% – 17.4%. A care bundle is a structured group of interventions associated with improved patient outcomes. The aim of this 3-year cluster randomised controlled trial is to provide rigorous evidence regarding the effect of a patient centred pressure injury prevention care bundle on the development of pressure injuries in patients at risk of developing a hospital acquired pressure injury.
Optimising Prescribing In Older Australians: A Randomised Trial Of The Drug Burden Index With Home Medicines Review
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$96,436.00
Summary
The burden of polypharmacy in the older population is taking its toll. The average number of medicines prescribed to older Australians is on the rise, and in turn leading to increased significant costs to the public health system. Pharmacists have a crucial role to improve the quality use of medicines in older Australians. The Drug Burden Index measures a person’s total exposure to medicines. This project will evaluate the benefits of calculating the DBI for patients receiving Home Medicines Rev ....The burden of polypharmacy in the older population is taking its toll. The average number of medicines prescribed to older Australians is on the rise, and in turn leading to increased significant costs to the public health system. Pharmacists have a crucial role to improve the quality use of medicines in older Australians. The Drug Burden Index measures a person’s total exposure to medicines. This project will evaluate the benefits of calculating the DBI for patients receiving Home Medicines Reviews, conducted by pharmacists.Read moreRead less
Near Real-time Identification Of Patient Safety Incidents Reported By Health Professionals.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$324,174.00
Summary
Ten percent of admissions to Australian hospitals are associated with harm to patients. Reporting of patient safety incidents is now widespread. Current methods, which rely upon humans to manually review incident reports, do not permit timely detection of safety problems and can no longer keep up with the growing volume. This study will be the first internationally to automate the monitoring of incident reports. The outcomes have broad and immediate potential to improve the monitoring of inciden ....Ten percent of admissions to Australian hospitals are associated with harm to patients. Reporting of patient safety incidents is now widespread. Current methods, which rely upon humans to manually review incident reports, do not permit timely detection of safety problems and can no longer keep up with the growing volume. This study will be the first internationally to automate the monitoring of incident reports. The outcomes have broad and immediate potential to improve the monitoring of incidents on a local, national and international scale.Read moreRead less
Creating A Culture Of Safety And Respect: A Controlled, Mixed Methods Study Of The Effectiveness Of A Behavioural Accountability Intervention To Reduce Unprofessional Behaviours
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$875,978.00
Summary
Unprofessional behaviours among health professionals are common and are associated with increased patient dissatisfaction and medicolegal risk. Addressing these behaviours is a national issue. Ethos is a structured accountability system involving a process of early, non-punitive and tiered intervention and will be introduced across four Australian hospitals. This research will be the first controlled study to assess the effectiveness of the Ethos program to improve patient safety in Australia.
Notifications To The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency: Identifying ‘hot Spots’ Of Risk To Help Improve The Quality And Safety Of Healthcare
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$276,072.00
Summary
Health practitioners with performance, health or conduct concerns can present a serious risk to patients. Yet we lack reliable methods for identifying these practitioners at an early stage. Each year the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency receives 1,000s of notifications about individual practitioners. We will use this data to identify “hot spots” of risk among different groups of practitioners and help target interventions to support practitioners and protect patients from harm.
Improving Nurse-administered Sedation Practice In The Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,891.00
Summary
This research will provide evidence to inform nursing management of the potentially life-threatening complications that are associated with the administration of sedation in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory. Three studies will be conducted: an investigation of the prevalence and risk factors of hypothermia after sedation; a randomised controlled trial of active warming to prevent hypothermia; and a study to determine whether audit and feedback improves patient safety during sedation.
Improving Outcomes For Patients With Critical Bleeding Requiring Massive Transfusion
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$877,786.00
Summary
Blood transfusions— the most common procedure in Australian hospitals —are life-saving for people with uncontrolled bleeding. They cost Australia more than $1 billion each year and despite their life-saving potential their risks are concerning. This project, led by ANZ researchers, health professionals, blood service stakeholders and government representatives, will provide new information about how to improve the safety and outcomes of patients receiving blood transfusions in our hospitals.
High-risk Doctors: Early Identification And Intervention To Protect Patients From Harm
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$224,786.00
Summary
When a doctor's health or performance falters, patient safety may be placed at risk. Previous research tells us that some doctors are at higher risk of running into difficulty than others. Regulators, like the Medical Board, collect masses of information, but this information is rarely used to try and identify and intervene early BEFORE harm occurs. Our research seeks to change this by identifying which doctors are at greatest risk and why, and how they can be supported back into safe practice.
Transforming Nursing Assessment In Acute Hospitals: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial Of An Evidence-based Core Assessment Protocol (the ENCORE Trial)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,069,268.00
Summary
Patients in acute care hospital are increasingly dependent on effective nursing surveillance for early detection of decline in clinical stability. But to meet the imperatives of the safety and quality agenda hospitals are universally moving towards systems that track physiological decline and trigger emergency response. This research will study the effectiveness of an intervention that supports nurses’ patient surveillance practices to achieve reduction in the events of clinical deterioration.