Reliability Of An Online Geriatric Assessment Procedure
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$343,822.00
Summary
This study will examine the reliability, safety and cost of a novel new method of providing geriatrician assessment to older people in hospital. Nurses consult with the patient and enter their findings on a web-based software system that enables the geriatrician to review, report and make recommendations over the internet.
Evaluation Of Internet-based, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy For The Treatment Of Anxiety Disorders In Adolescents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$570,750.00
Summary
Anxiety disorders affect around 5-10% of adolescents and are associated with a range of adverse consequences if left untreated. The majority of young people with anxiety disorders do not seek nor receive treatment. This may be due partly to the perceived stigma of attending a mental health clinic and logistic problems of attending therapy. A challenge is to identify ways in which treatment can be made more accessible to adolescents in need, particularly those in rural and remote areas. Contrary ....Anxiety disorders affect around 5-10% of adolescents and are associated with a range of adverse consequences if left untreated. The majority of young people with anxiety disorders do not seek nor receive treatment. This may be due partly to the perceived stigma of attending a mental health clinic and logistic problems of attending therapy. A challenge is to identify ways in which treatment can be made more accessible to adolescents in need, particularly those in rural and remote areas. Contrary to original beliefs, evidence shows that the internet can be used to deliver effective psychological therapies for a range of mental health problems, including anxiety disorders. So far this research has focused on adults, but adolescents may be in a particularly strong position to benefit from these forms of therapy, being experienced users of internet resources. This research investigates the effectiveness of internet-based cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) in the treatment for anxiety disorders in adolescents. Recently we have piloted CBT for anxious children that combines clinic and internet therapy, with half the therapy sessions in the clinic and half over the internet. Pilot data show that clinic + internet therapy produced significant reductions in anxiety and is almost as effective full clinic-based therapy. The proposed research builds on our pilot work by evaluating the effectiveness of a more extensive internet-based therapy in which all sessions are completed using the internet and with an older age group. The research also examines the factors that predict which young people will respond most positively to the intervention so that the treatment can be matched to those most likely to benefit from it in the future. The aim is to develop an effective internet-based treatment for adolescents with anxiety disorders that is easily accessed and suitable for use in rural and remote populations, requiring minimal face-to-face therapist contact.Read moreRead less
Preparing Australia For Genomic Medicine: A Proposal By The Australian Genomics Health Alliance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$25,000,000.00
Summary
The sequencing of the human genome brings the possibility of more accurate identification of the underlying basis of many diseases. This technology has moved so rapidly, however, that clinical access has been limited. In this application, a national alliance of clinicians, researchers, health economists and policymakers will evaluate the case for clinical genomics across inherited disease and cancer, determine how best to deliver this to the patient and train a capable workforce.
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are a major problem for Australian Indigenous people. Accurate diagnosis of ARF allows for early preventive therapy with long acting penicillin, which can prevent RHD from developing or worsening. The aim of this study is to recruit a cohort of children and young people with ARF and apply the latest technologies to their blood samples, with the aim of developing a diagnostic test and open leads for potential new treatments.
Use Of Innovative Mobile Telehealth Technology To Enable A New Service Delivery Solution For Dysphagia Management
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$207,231.00
Summary
Dysphagia, the term used to describe a swallowing difficulty, affects up to 30% of people over 65 years of age. Speech pathologists are responsible for diagnosing and managing dysphagia, however there is a shortfall between the number of clinicians available and the large number of individuals with this condition. The study aims to validate a way to assess dysphagia using telehealth, to increase access to speech pathology services particularly for patients in rural health settings.
Improving diagnostic accuracy and treatment options for equine PPID. Equine Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID) is a common, chronic and potentially life-threatening disease of older horses and ponies. Although a treatment is available, the disease is poorly understood and there are some concerns that the current diagnostic technology is not delivering accurate results. Thus, this project aims to develop a more accurate diagnostic test for PPID, while exploring the relationship between ....Improving diagnostic accuracy and treatment options for equine PPID. Equine Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID) is a common, chronic and potentially life-threatening disease of older horses and ponies. Although a treatment is available, the disease is poorly understood and there are some concerns that the current diagnostic technology is not delivering accurate results. Thus, this project aims to develop a more accurate diagnostic test for PPID, while exploring the relationship between PPID and metabolic syndrome, to generate new insights into the cause and consequences of both diseases. As an added benefit, the project will assist horseracing laboratories to improve their detection methods for peptide doping in younger competition horses.
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Human interaction with context-aware computing systems. Context-aware systems can provide seamless support of IT applications in a variety of technologies and therefore can improve: (i) work performance and adoption of IT in many industries; and (ii) the quality of life through better support for health services, education, and everyday tasks. Currently proposed solutions for context-aware systems fail to deliver systems which are usable for non-IT professionals. The proposed project will show h ....Human interaction with context-aware computing systems. Context-aware systems can provide seamless support of IT applications in a variety of technologies and therefore can improve: (i) work performance and adoption of IT in many industries; and (ii) the quality of life through better support for health services, education, and everyday tasks. Currently proposed solutions for context-aware systems fail to deliver systems which are usable for non-IT professionals. The proposed project will show how to design context-aware systems that are usable and whose autonomic decisions can be trusted. Additional benefits include increased scientific competitiveness of Australia, strengthened collaboration with international research institutions, and high quality graduates (PhDs, Masters, Honours).Read moreRead less
Diagnosis of Reference Flow Control Alerts for the Identification of Malicious Event Sequences (DiagRF). There are a reported two billion computer attacks worldwide per year. Many of these attacks require a skilled human to decipher them and to develop the "signatures" by which they can be detected. The main outcome of this project will be fundamental knowledge regarding how information flows can be tracked and then forensically analysed in a distributed computer system or network in order to ....Diagnosis of Reference Flow Control Alerts for the Identification of Malicious Event Sequences (DiagRF). There are a reported two billion computer attacks worldwide per year. Many of these attacks require a skilled human to decipher them and to develop the "signatures" by which they can be detected. The main outcome of this project will be fundamental knowledge regarding how information flows can be tracked and then forensically analysed in a distributed computer system or network in order to enable the automatic characterization of certain classes of attacks. This new approach will enable the automatic development of attack signatures and thus the detection of such attacks. The project will lead to the development of a prototype which implements the automatic analysis and characterization of such attacks to provide proof of concept.Read moreRead less
Improving Global Tuberculosis Control With The AuTuMN Platform
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$655,059.00
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s leading infectious killer, with the failure of global control responsible for the vast majority of Australia’s cases. Using our robustly developed software platform, we have performed several country-level studies to predict the future burden of disease and compare the impact of alternative responses to controlling the epidemic. In this project, we will extend our platform to perform simulations at the global level and answer key questions in TB control.