Effective communication and improved patient safety: Addressing the complexities of managing high risk medications in metropolitan and regional hospitals. Current costs of hospital-related incidents are around AU$2 billion per year, and the most common cause of these incidents is ineffective communication. Medication incidents relating to use of high risk medications are particularly critical because of the increased severity of patient outcomes. High risk medications are administered in busy en ....Effective communication and improved patient safety: Addressing the complexities of managing high risk medications in metropolitan and regional hospitals. Current costs of hospital-related incidents are around AU$2 billion per year, and the most common cause of these incidents is ineffective communication. Medication incidents relating to use of high risk medications are particularly critical because of the increased severity of patient outcomes. High risk medications are administered in busy environments, and involve patients who are cared for by many different health professionals in technologically complex settings. These factors increase the likelihood of more medication incidents. The unique knowledge obtained will inform policies and identify strategies for better communication. Health professionals and patients can adopt these strategies to improve medication safety.Read moreRead less
Intimidation and voice of research scientists. This project aims to identify factors regarding the incidence, severity and outcomes of the intimidation of scientists. Little is known about the nature or extent of intimidation of scientists or its impact on scientists, their voice or scientific progress. Using a major international survey and in-depth qualitative interviews, this project will identify interventions that can reduce the personal and social costs arising from the intimidation of sci ....Intimidation and voice of research scientists. This project aims to identify factors regarding the incidence, severity and outcomes of the intimidation of scientists. Little is known about the nature or extent of intimidation of scientists or its impact on scientists, their voice or scientific progress. Using a major international survey and in-depth qualitative interviews, this project will identify interventions that can reduce the personal and social costs arising from the intimidation of scientists and increase their voice. In addition, the project will improve the theoretical and conceptual understanding of the relationships between scientists, society and scientific progress, including by reconsidering the Kuhnian model of science.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354799
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Complex networked social systems. A recurring contemporary theme across many social science disciplines is the significant role of social networks in shaping the course of interpersonal interactions and their cascading social consequences. The aim of this Initiative is to build a multi- disciplinary Research Network spanning the social and mathematical sciences that can develop a new interdisciplinary science of networks and network-based social processes. The Network's aims will be twofold: f ....Complex networked social systems. A recurring contemporary theme across many social science disciplines is the significant role of social networks in shaping the course of interpersonal interactions and their cascading social consequences. The aim of this Initiative is to build a multi- disciplinary Research Network spanning the social and mathematical sciences that can develop a new interdisciplinary science of networks and network-based social processes. The Network's aims will be twofold: first, an interactive and accessible state-of-the-art research capacity in theory, methods and models for network processes; and, second, the capacity to apply new forms of network understanding to the design and evaluation of innovative intervention strategies for system-level community change.Read moreRead less
Navigating back pain care: a sociological study of women's illness pathways within and between intersecting social worlds. Back pain affects most people at some point in their life. It is difficult to treat, choosing a provider can be confusing, and it is costly for the Government. This project will provide comprehensive data on women's journeys through back pain care, their experiences of different providers, and how they negotiate competing ideological perspectives.
Globalisation, Sustaining Rural Livelihoods and Organics: The Impacts of the Transformation in the Production and Consumption of Organic Foods. The production and consumption of organic foodstuffs has been transformed in recent years, from a focus on small-scale production for local consumption to a global industry dominated by large agribusiness companies and supermarkets. This not only raises questions about the role of organic agriculture in achieving sustainable development in Australia and ....Globalisation, Sustaining Rural Livelihoods and Organics: The Impacts of the Transformation in the Production and Consumption of Organic Foods. The production and consumption of organic foodstuffs has been transformed in recent years, from a focus on small-scale production for local consumption to a global industry dominated by large agribusiness companies and supermarkets. This not only raises questions about the role of organic agriculture in achieving sustainable development in Australia and elsewhere, but is also creating relationships of dependency within the less developed world which may well reduce food security and make the problem of feeding growing populations more difficult. This study seeks to develop a range of policy alternatives in order to enhance sustainability through organic farming.Read moreRead less
Aftercare for young people: A sociological study of resource opportunities. This project aims to understand the resourcing opportunities and needs of young people in the first year after exiting alcohol and drug (AOD) treatment. AOD treatment is successful for many people, yet it is also common for people to ‘relapse’ or return to treatment and to experience multiple periods of engagement, drop-out and re-engagement. Drawing on sociological concepts, and using a longitudinal qualitative design, ....Aftercare for young people: A sociological study of resource opportunities. This project aims to understand the resourcing opportunities and needs of young people in the first year after exiting alcohol and drug (AOD) treatment. AOD treatment is successful for many people, yet it is also common for people to ‘relapse’ or return to treatment and to experience multiple periods of engagement, drop-out and re-engagement. Drawing on sociological concepts, and using a longitudinal qualitative design, this project aims to provide new evidence about the resourcing needs of young people – their perceptions of the resources available to them, and how they use these to maintain their AOD treatment outcomes. This will support the design of continuing care services that are responsive and relevant to young people’s needs.Read moreRead less
A comparative sociocultural and bioethical study of uterus transplants . This socio-cultural study aims to undertake a comparative study of the new Australian Uterine Transplant (UTx) trial with established and emerging UTx programs in the US and India. Expected outcomes of this project include: enhanced understandings of the experiences and meanings of uterine transplant for women donors, recipients and staff involved in UTx trials; an exploration of the ethical issues raised by this technolog ....A comparative sociocultural and bioethical study of uterus transplants . This socio-cultural study aims to undertake a comparative study of the new Australian Uterine Transplant (UTx) trial with established and emerging UTx programs in the US and India. Expected outcomes of this project include: enhanced understandings of the experiences and meanings of uterine transplant for women donors, recipients and staff involved in UTx trials; an exploration of the ethical issues raised by this technology; and a comparison of social responses to uterine transplants across different societies.This study is anticipated to provide theoretical insights on the social and ethical impacts of this technology for improved public policy responses. Read moreRead less
Understanding the Australian public's expectations of personalised genomics. This multi-disciplinary project aims to be the first to explore the Australian public's awareness of new developments in genetic science that allow healthy individuals to access their own genetic makeup. Called 'personal genomics', this broad group of genetic tests can be used for a variety of purposes that include ancestry, paternity, sporting ability and health. These tests are developing at a rapid rate yet little is ....Understanding the Australian public's expectations of personalised genomics. This multi-disciplinary project aims to be the first to explore the Australian public's awareness of new developments in genetic science that allow healthy individuals to access their own genetic makeup. Called 'personal genomics', this broad group of genetic tests can be used for a variety of purposes that include ancestry, paternity, sporting ability and health. These tests are developing at a rapid rate yet little is known about why, how and where they are used by the public. This project will employ a mixed methods approach to examine how the public might engage with this new technology. The research aims to help define educational strategies and supports and thereby to inform national policy for personal genomics.Read moreRead less
Reimagining strengths approaches to drug and alcohol care for young people. This project aims to advance the conceptualisation and practical application of strengths-based approaches in the youth alcohol and drug sector. These approaches provide a promising way forward for addressing substance use and disadvantage among young people, and are widespread in the sector, but lack a strong evidence base. The project will learn from excellence in Aboriginal strengths-based models, and draw on sociolog ....Reimagining strengths approaches to drug and alcohol care for young people. This project aims to advance the conceptualisation and practical application of strengths-based approaches in the youth alcohol and drug sector. These approaches provide a promising way forward for addressing substance use and disadvantage among young people, and are widespread in the sector, but lack a strong evidence base. The project will learn from excellence in Aboriginal strengths-based models, and draw on sociological frameworks, to generate evidence on which to build more relevant responses for disadvantaged young people. This will provide significant benefit to service providers and policymakers by providing evidence about how to do strengths-based practice that is responsive to the needs of disadvantaged young people.Read moreRead less
Hopes and Aspirations of Australian Muslims. Promoting harmony and increasing security are critical national issues. This project will provide reliable information on the socio-political outlook of Australian Muslims - a growing community in Australia which has attracted extensive public scrutiny in recent years. By testing the hopes and aspirations of Australian Muslims, the findings of this project will (a) offer tangible guidelines for Commonwealth and state policy makers, (b) contribute to a ....Hopes and Aspirations of Australian Muslims. Promoting harmony and increasing security are critical national issues. This project will provide reliable information on the socio-political outlook of Australian Muslims - a growing community in Australia which has attracted extensive public scrutiny in recent years. By testing the hopes and aspirations of Australian Muslims, the findings of this project will (a) offer tangible guidelines for Commonwealth and state policy makers, (b) contribute to an informed public discourse on the place of Islam in Australia, and (c) enrich inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue and social harmonyRead moreRead less