Improving Decisions About The Funding Of High Cost Cancer Medicines In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$569,303.00
Summary
In this project, we will address the pressing policy question: How can those funding cancer medicines manage the intensifying economic and ethical challenges that they face? Specifically, we will explore ways of making funding decisions fairer and more legitimate in the eyes of different stakeholders, including patients, the general public, governments and pharmaceutical companies. We will also consider ways in which these guidelines might be generalised to the funding of other medicines.
Measuring Health Related Social Preferences And Their Inclusion In An Alternative Method For Prioritising Health Services
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$430,143.00
Summary
The project measures the public preference for sharing the health budget rather than maximising average health. It quantifies the importance of severity, patient age and health potential and illustrates an alternative criterion to the maximisation of cost effectiveness for the allocation of the health budget.
Improving Access To Safe Water Using Riverbank Filtration Technology
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,056,616.00
Summary
Diarrhoea is a leading cause of death and disease globally, most often due to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. River water is a common water source in India, but water quality is often compromised by contamination. Riverbank Filtration technology (RBF) uses natural treatment processes to improve water quality. This project will investigate the effect of improving water quality via installation of RBF systems on diarrhoea incidence in six rural Indian communities.
Uptake Of Evidence To Policy: The Indigenous Burden Of Disease Case Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$439,210.00
Summary
Burden of Disease (BOD) methods were designed with the intention of assisting health policy makers in decision making. Using a unit called the Disability Adjusted Life Year, the process measures both death and disability caused by disease or illness, allowing the burden of differing diseases to be compared, and priorities clarified. This research will improve communication between researchers, community and policy makers by showing how the Indigenous BOD study has been used in policy processes.
Prospective Study Of Birth Defects From Fetotoxic Agents In The Public Water Supply
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$732,036.00
Summary
Recent research in Australia & internationally shows that birth defects are more common in areas where mothers are exposed to poor quality drinking water, particularly when treatment chemicals known as trihalomethanes (THMs) are present. We will determine the risk that high THM levels pose to unborn babies by accurately measuring individual exposures to THMs & correlating these with adverse birth outcomes. The study will be in Perth where THM levels are very high in a number of suburbs.
Evaluation Of Long-Term Clinical And Health Service Outcomes Following Coronary Artery Revascularisation In Western Australia: Future Implications
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$638,412.00
Summary
Heart attacks occur when arteries of the heart become blocked, and current treatment involves unblocking the affected vessel by inserting a stent fed through a leg artery or using bypass surgery. There are different types of stents and whether they offer better outcomes than surgery in the long-term is currently undecided. We will evaluate whether patients who receive stents have better outcomes after 5 years than patients who have surgery, and what the various costs are to the health system.
Social And Cultural Resilience And Emotional Wellbeing Of Aboriginal Mothers In Prison (SCREAM)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$925,847.00
Summary
The increasing imprisonment of Aboriginal women is a major public health issue affecting Aboriginal communities. One way in which the burden of disease and cycle of incarceration within families can be addressed is by improving health outcomes for incarcerated Aboriginal mothers and female carers. This mixed-methods study uses appropriate health measures, narrative data and action research to identify culturally safe models of health care for delivery in prisons and on re-integration to the comm ....The increasing imprisonment of Aboriginal women is a major public health issue affecting Aboriginal communities. One way in which the burden of disease and cycle of incarceration within families can be addressed is by improving health outcomes for incarcerated Aboriginal mothers and female carers. This mixed-methods study uses appropriate health measures, narrative data and action research to identify culturally safe models of health care for delivery in prisons and on re-integration to the community.Read moreRead less
Implementation And Sustainability Of Non-surgical Intervention For Dental Caries In General Dental Practice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,388.00
Summary
Dentists in NSW and the ACT used new protocols to stop the spread of tooth decay. Many decayed teeth were then remineralised without the use of injections or drilling and filling. The process by which the dentists reorganised their practices to implement the protocols and how they explained them to their patients and practice staff will now be investigated to discover how best to promote their use Australia-wide. The sustainability and cost-effectiveness of this type of care will be measured.
Peer Counseling To Improve Feeding Practices And Reduce Malnutrition In Children 0-2 Years In Bangladesh
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$951,929.00
Summary
Bangladesh faces high levels of inappropriate infant feeding leading to young child malnutrition. Effective programs are urgently needed to help reduce this burden of malnutrition. The study in poor urban communities in Dhaka City, Bangladesh will examine the impact of local women educating mothers about appropriate infant feeding. We will assess the impact of these programs on feeding practices and the growth of the infants.
Eating As Treatment (EAT): A Stepped Wedge, Randomised Control Trial Of A Health Behaviour Change Intervention Provided By Dietitians To Improve Nutrition In Head And Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,156,299.00
Summary
Maintaining nutrition in Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) patients is challenging. Radiotherapy and the burden of the cancer make it difficult for HNC patients to maintain sufficient nutrition. HNC patients also have higher levels of mental illness and substance dependence including alcohol misuse. This trial aims to build on promising pilot data to evaluate for the first time a dietitian delivered health behaviour intervention (Eating As Treatment) to improve nutritional status among HNC patients.