Improving Quality Of Life In High-risk Cancer Populations: A Randomised Trial Of A Structured Intervention For Head And Neck Cancer Survivors
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$493,220.00
Summary
Patients treated for head and neck cancer commonly experience pain, disfigurement, eating difficulties, depression and fatigue, undermining confidence and quality of life. This study aims to help patients self-manage their ongoing health problems following completion of treatment. This will be achieved through a randomised trial in which patients will be assisted by a trained oncology nurse to develop a tailored survivorship care plan focusing on the patient’s specific medical and emotional conc ....Patients treated for head and neck cancer commonly experience pain, disfigurement, eating difficulties, depression and fatigue, undermining confidence and quality of life. This study aims to help patients self-manage their ongoing health problems following completion of treatment. This will be achieved through a randomised trial in which patients will be assisted by a trained oncology nurse to develop a tailored survivorship care plan focusing on the patient’s specific medical and emotional concerns.Read moreRead less
Measuring Adverse Events: Development Of A Patient-Centred Adverse Event Reporting Tool (PAET)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$454,721.00
Summary
The decision to treat a patient depends on knowing whether the treatment does more good than harm. If it is likely that the treatment will work as well as or better than other treatments and will have minimal associated risks, then that treatment would be recommended unless unavailable or prohibited by cost. Given two equally effective treatments the one with fewer side effects and greater tolerability would be preferred by all. In the process of acquiring knowledge on treatment benefit and trea ....The decision to treat a patient depends on knowing whether the treatment does more good than harm. If it is likely that the treatment will work as well as or better than other treatments and will have minimal associated risks, then that treatment would be recommended unless unavailable or prohibited by cost. Given two equally effective treatments the one with fewer side effects and greater tolerability would be preferred by all. In the process of acquiring knowledge on treatment benefit and treatment harm we rely on evidence from clinical trials. However, the evaluation of benefit versus harm is not symmetric in this setting. Much more effort (e.g. study design, study power, standardisation of efficacy outcome measures) goes into the assessment of whether a treatment works and rather than its potential harm, as measured by adverse events. Adverse event ascertainment and reporting is poorly standardised . There is no standardised measurement process that elicits adverse event information. There is no standardised method for quantifying adverse event information into an index or profile scores equivalent to instruments developed to measure health status, quality of life and other benefits of treatment. Developing astandardised Patient-centred Adverse Event Questionnaire will benefit multiple stakeholders. For Patients: An easy to understand summary measure of treatment harm aids patient understanding of the benefit versus risk. For Doctors, allied health professionals: The Questionnaire includes drug profiles, to align a drug profile with an individual patient's clinical profile. This leads to better patient care. In health policy: All of the above has flow-on effects for policy. Better adverse event data will facilitate information and understanding generally of risks of treatments, risk-benefits of treatments, and cost-effectiveness of management strategies.Read moreRead less
A Comprehensive Self-Management Programme For Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease In The Community
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$391,610.00
Summary
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of burden of disease in Australia. It has a major impact on sufferers, their carers and society. This study introduces a new model of community care, based on case management, mentoring to improve self-efficacy and information systems to deliver information and closely monitor disease status. This will improve the quality of life of sufferers, develop healthcare networks and decrease healthcare utilisation.
Phylogeny As A Basis For Molecular Identification Of Pathogenic Fungi
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$440,750.00
Summary
Pathogenic fungi are becoming increasingly important in causing potentially life-threatening diseases in immunocompromised hosts (e.g. AIDS, transplant patients). Many of the emerging fungal pathogens are inherently resistent to triazole antifungal drugs and clinical responses to established drugs remain suboptimal, despite apparent sensitivity in the laboratory. Current techniques of fungal identification are insensitive, unspecific, slow, labour-intensive and require skilled personnel for the ....Pathogenic fungi are becoming increasingly important in causing potentially life-threatening diseases in immunocompromised hosts (e.g. AIDS, transplant patients). Many of the emerging fungal pathogens are inherently resistent to triazole antifungal drugs and clinical responses to established drugs remain suboptimal, despite apparent sensitivity in the laboratory. Current techniques of fungal identification are insensitive, unspecific, slow, labour-intensive and require skilled personnel for the ID of less common fungi. To improve clinical outcomes by prompt selection-initiation of the best antifungal regimes, and to truncate the interval from initiation of therapy to cure, early, accurate identification of the causative agent is crucial, making a fast identification to the species level after culture or direct from clinical specimens a necessity. A correct fungal identification can only be achieved if the phylogenetic relationships between the pathogenic organisms and their taxonomy is resolved. Gene detection is more reproducible than detection of morphological and biochemical differences. The proposal focuses on the establishment of an accurate phylogenetic system of pathogenic fungi, which will form the basis of a universally applicable molecular identification system and to develop a molecular reference database for human pathogenic fungi. This project will contribute sequence data of pathogenic fungi to the Tree of Life project. This project unites expertise in classical mycology, molecular biology, bioinformatics and infectious diseases, to develop an accurate phylogeny of medically important fungi, providing a unique opportunity to establish a quality controlled reference database accessible via the world-wide-web. This will provide a faster and more accurate ID of pathogenic fungi, which will lead to better clinical treatment.Read moreRead less