Reducing Falls By Improving Knowledge Translation: A Mixed-methods Study To Incorporate Falls Prevention Best-practice Evidence Into Osteoarthritis Care
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$88,502.00
Summary
Over 50% of people with osteoarthritis (OA) will fall. Resources exist to assist clinicians in the management of OA, but give little or no attention to falls.The association between OA and falls supports the need to incorporate falls prevention strategies into routine OA care. This project aims to reduce falls and fall-related harm in people with OA by creating a list of recommendations for preventing falls that can be incorporated into current OA resources and routine OA care.
Three Case Studies Evaluating Health Service Interventions And Exploring The Factors Influencing Their Undertaking And Use In Clinical And Organisational Settings.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$95,121.00
Summary
Healthcare services aspire to provide the highest quality healthcare while facing pressure on costs. In this context evaluating health service interventions is essential. This thesis will evaluate three such interventions aimed at improving patient care. In doing so, it will explore the factors affecting their translation into practice and their capacity to inform relevant decision makers, including clinicians, managers and policy-makers.
Falls and broken bones are costly health problems among the elderly, even more so when there is a growing older population aged over 65 years. In Australia about 1 million older people have at least one fall each year and about 40-60% will sustain major injuries including broken bones. Therefore there is a need to identify effective ways to reduce falls and improve outcomes of those who break a bone, especially of the hip.
Fall Surveillance: Evaluation Of Patients, Practitioners, And Health Data Sources
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$102,680.00
Summary
In Queensland falls account for the highest proportion of injury-related death and hospitalisation among older people. The project aims to provide a comprehensive picture of falls and related injuries in Queensland and assess the possibilities of linking a range of injury-related data sources in primary and acute care. It is anticipated that harmonisation of data collection practices would facilitate greater understanding of falls and inform improved prevention practices and health outcomes.
This project will investigate the link between vitamin D and falls in people with stroke. It will be the first study to examine associations between vitamin D and falls in people with stroke and establish whether interventions to prevent falls in people with stroke may need to include vitamin D supplementation. This project is a first vital step towards developing an effective falls prevention intervention for the large numbers of Australian stroke survivors, which currently does not exist.
High Speed Video To Assess Eye Movements In Vestibular Dysfunction - A Validation Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$133,351.00
Summary
Dizziness affects a third of the population during their lives. Abnormal eye movements are often the best guide as to what has gone wrong in the dizzy person. The problem is that these eye movements can be difficult to see, and hence measure, as a way of diagnosing and then treating the dizziness. Video-oculography holds great promise for helping doctors identify the cause, and in many cases offer simple curative treatment, for dizziness.
Musculoskeletal Strength In End Stage Kidney Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$109,358.00
Summary
People with advanced kidney disease have poorer musculoskeletal health leading to reduced quality of life. This project will examine the associations of musculoskeletal health and neuropathy with immediate and long term clinical outcomes.
There is strong evidence of an increased falls risk associated with cataract, a primary cause of vision impairment in older Australians. This research will determine factors contributing to increases in falls risk in people aged 70 years and older with cataract before surgery, between first and second eye surgery, and after second eye surgery. The findings can inform the optimal management of older people with cataract and limit negative health impacts of cataract-related injury and falls.
Ambulance Demand: Random Events Or Predictable Patterns
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$59,191.00
Summary
Over the past 20 years there has been an increase in demand for emergency ambulance services across the developed world, placing significant strain on ambulance resources. However, it is not known if demand is constant across different times of day, days of the week or months of the year. This PhD will examine temporal patterns in ambulance demand using four years of data derived from paramedic assessment. Understanding these patterns will provide evidence to inform ambulance practice.