ANZCTR search results

This is a pilot evaluation of the ability of a web and text-book based training program to train medical scribe students to be ready to commence work as a trainee medical scribe in an Emergency Department

Sacral Neuromodulation or SNM is a well-established treatment for bowel leakage, also known as faecal incontinence. It uses a small device (a stimulator) that is implanted under the skin in the upper buttock area. It then transmits electrical pulses through a small wire that is positioned close to the sacral nerve to improve bowel control and function. Despite being very successful for the treatment of faecal incontinence, the exact mechanism by which it works remains unknown. It is possible that SNM influences the way that the brain and gut interact by ‘resetting’ its function back to normal, a bit like restarting a computer after it ‘crashes’. If this is true, long-term SNM may not be necessary to control symptoms. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of SNM on bowel symptoms and bowel control, particularly when SNM is switched off. The group studied will include patients with faecal incontinence who have successfully been stimulated for at least 6 months. A total of 20 patients will be recruited and randomised into two groups; each group will have two cycles of different exposure. Each cycle will last for 6 weeks and will involve either turning the stimulator Off or On. Patients and assessors will be unaware whether the stimulator is On or Off, so as to reduce the effect of bias. At each 6-week cycle, all patients recruited will attend the hospital to adjust their stimulator and to complete a questionnaire and undergo physiology tests to measure bowel control and function. At the end of the study the SNM will be switched back to the original setting. Study outcomes will involve assessment of bowel symptoms, severity of faecal incontinence, quality of life scores and anorectal physiological function. This study will provide important information in understanding and treating disorders of bowel function and bowel leakage.

Finger-prick capillary glucose levels typically inform insulin administration in T1D. RT-CGM involves using a subcutaneous sensor to measure interstitial fluid glucose levels continuously and provides the person with the glucose level in real-time, as well as the rate and direction of change in the glucose. There is an increasing body of evidence indicating that RT-CGM in combination with an insulin pump results in an improvement in glycaemia and reduces hypoglycaemia, compared with finger-prick glucose measurement and multiple daily injections with insulin in people with T1DM. However, data is limited regarding the use of RT-CGM in conjunction with multiple daily insulin injections. The study aims to evaluate the user acceptance of the RT-CGM device in patients with T1D, as well as to evaluate its' impact on glycaemic control.

Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalisation in older people in Australia. Older people are at increased risk of falls after hospital discharge and these falls can lead to injury and loss of independence and quality of life. However older people have been found to have low levels of knowledge about falls and may be reluctant to engage in falls prevention activities, such as exercise. The primary aim of this trial is to determine if providing tailored falls prevention education that includes the provision of multimedia materials as well as individual health professional consultations and reinforcement in hospital and after discharge reduces falls rates in older people after discharge from hospital. A randomised trial will compare outcomes between a group that receive the education in addition to usual care and a group that receive social visits in addition to usual care.

In this study we are comparing two laryngeal mask airways (LMAs), a current model which is commonly used with the latest model of the device for flexibility, traumatic effect and ease of optimal positioning. We are performing a randomised controlled study to find out which device performs better in clinical practice. We are randomly selecting people to the groups and giving each a different device. The results will be compared to see if one is better. There is a 50:50 chance of being in one group or the other.

The purpose of this study is to determine if two cosmetic products, a cleanser and a moisturiser, containing ceramides can be of benefit for those with moderate eczema. It is hypothesised that daily use of such products will be of benefit as part of the maintenance regimen for those with moderate eczema.

The hypothesis of this study is that transmitted acoustic energy delivered via the collar bones to the pressure receptors in the neck will modulate the nervous system to reduce blood pressure and heart rate in normal individuals. The main aim is to investigate the effect of mechanical vibration delivered non-invasively via the collar bones to affect the heart rate and blood pressure. Primary Objective: To determine if acute use of the Sympara Therapeutic System (STS) device reduces sympathetic activity in three distinct subject populations. A. Healthy controls B. Healthy individuals with elevated sympathetic activity (e.g. anxiety) C. Individuals with early to mild hypertension Study Design: Acute, prospective, study to evaluate the potential mechanism of action for the STS.Participants will be randomized in a 1:4 ratio to either a sham or active STS device.

Only a few patients (less than 10%) survive cardiac arrest that lasts for more than 30 minutes, even if the cause is potentially reversible. ECMO is a blood pump that can be placed in large blood vessels in the groin and takes over the functions of the heart and lungs. This study will look at how many people survive persisting cardiac arrest when ECMO is used to support the heart until the cause of the cardiac arrest has been treated and the heart has had time to recover.

The primary purpose of this study is to determine the effect of metformin on certain growth factors that drive progression of prostate cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 50 to 80 years, with histologically confirmed prostate cancer of early or locally advanced stage, or metastatic prostate cancer with bone involvement only and have been on stable treatment with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in the form of a GnRH agonist for more than 6 months. Study details: Metformin is a commonly used medication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. We have early evidence that the use of metformin may slow down the growth of prostate cancer cells. However, the exact mechanism remains unknown. In this study participants will be randomly allocated (by chance) to start with either metformin or placebo treatment. Metformin or placebo tablets will be given twice daily over 6 weeks each. You will not know which tablet you are taking until after the trial. Blood samples will be taken at baseline and 6 and 12 weeks in order to assess how metfromin affects levels and activity of growth factors involved in prostate cancer progression.

When patients suffer from bleeding into the subarachnoid space surrounding the brain it is known as a “Subarachnoid Haemorrhage” (SAH). When a SAH is suffered the patient is exposed to very high risk of death and long-term illness and disability. This is due to development of multiple complications following the start of the bleeding. The cause of these complications can be attributed directly to the cause of the bleeding in the first place. Examples include thinning of the blood, trauma or aneurysms (a weakness in the wall of the brain arteries that become enlarged and rupture). However, one of the most serious complications of subarachnoid bleeding occurring 3 to 7 days after bleeding is a phenomenon called vasospasm. This phenomenon in which the blood vessels narrow and decrease the blood flow, reducing the blood supply and oxygen delivery to the brain tissue, potentially causing permanent brain damage ( stroke) . It can be fatal if severe. The causes of vasospasm and subsequent brain damage are not fully understood. Understanding the causes of vasospasm and the way it causes brain damage could help in starting new treatment lines that eventually might lead to a better outcome. We believe that increased blood clotting could be a contributing factor in reducing blood flow to the brain causing permanent blockage of brain blood vessels and brain damage. Therefore, our study seeks to determine whether patients who develop symptoms of delayed brain damage have an increased blood clotting tendency. The study involves a simple, point of care test of blood clotting - thromboelastogram (TEG) that measures increased clotting susceptibility far better than other conventional blood tests. These blood test results will be correlated against longer term progress of patients neurological recovery. The outcome test will use standard CT scan, serial Doppler Ultrasound for brain blood vessels and neurological information obtained during routine followup by neurosurgeons and neurologists. The blood for the TEG will be taken together with other routine blood tests and should not usually require separate blood samples. The neurological assessments will be part of routine care. Some blood plasma may be stored for additional coagulation tests depending on the primary result of the study. All information gathered will be aggregated and no individual patient would be identified in any publication. This study is prospective cross sectional cohort study and use thromboelastogram in patients with subarachnoid bleeding excluding trauma related causes. We suspect that there will be association between brain damage symptoms and increasing coagulation of the blood. That will facilitate, in future studies, introducing medical intervention earlier to assist in treating such morbid complication.