ANZCTR search results

COPD is commonly managed in general practice but there is growing evidence that diagnosis and management can be improved. This project aims to look at how a novel model of care in which physiotherapists and GP’s work in partnership can improve the identification and management of people with COPD. The physiotherapists will work in partnership with the general practice to case-find people with a new diagnosis of COPD, assess people with a known diagnosis of COPD and provide evidence based physiotherapy management and referral to appropriate services. The INTEGRATED study hypothesises that this GP-physiotherapist model of care will improve the diagnosis and management of people with COPD through more accurate spirometry interpretation, an increase in referrals to pulmonary rehabilitation in those who meet the guidelines criteria for referral, an increase in physical activity levels by people with COPD and an increase in smoking cessation in those who are smokers at baseline. It is also hypothesised that both GPs and physiotherapists will find this integrated partnership a feasible and acceptable way to work together to manage people with COPD within the primary care setting.

The purpose of this study is to see if symptom monitoring can improve quality of life in people with upper gastrointestinal cancer (stomach, pancreas and oesophagus cancer). Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you have been diagnosed with pancreatic, oesophageal or gastric cancer, and are participating in the Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Registry. Study details Participants in this study will be randomised by chance (like flipping a coin) into two groups. One group will participate in the PROpatient intervention, where they complete a symptom monitoring tool (an electronic questionnaire) using a phone, tablet or computer approximately every two weeks (or a often as required). Their answers to the questions will be used to send them self-management guides or to refer them to supportive health services if required. The other group (control group) will not use the PROpatient intervention. Both groups will complete additional questionnaires about their quality of life, and patient information needs, after recruitment, at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months. It is hoped this research will show that the collection and integration of patient-reported symptoms into clinical practice will improve communication with health care professionals and improve cancer management.

A Qualtrics-based survey will be accessed Australia wide by physiotherapists working in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) who fit the inclusion and exclusion criteria. It is anticipated that this survey will answer important questions related to the type, scope and funding of physiotherapy services in Australian RACFs, how current practice aligns with evidence-based practice guidelines, and the physiotherapist-perceived barriers and facilitators to the receipt of physiotherapy services in RACFs. It is hypothesised that majority of current physiotherapy services do not utilise evidence-based practice, due to barriers such as funding and staff availability not being equitable across RACFs.

This is a two-stage clinical investigation. Stage 1, an open label safety run-in investigation of the first three participants, who received open-label TetraMax in combination with BioOss (TMB) has been successfully completed. The first nine participants of stage 2 (randomisation) have received the IP/control product and are currently undergoing follow-up.

Spasticity is a common sequelae following stroke with prevalence rates of 30-80%. Patients experiencing upper limb spasticity report reduced quality of life secondary to difficulties using their arm for daily tasks and pain. Valid and reliable assessments for spasticity are critical for the selection and evaluation of treatments. Clinical scales are the most common method for assessing upper limb spasticity following a stroke, and include the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and the Modified Tardieu Scale (MTS). More recently, robotic devices and information technology have been found to be safe and effective in increasing the efficiency of care, including objectively measuring impairments. We hypothesise that a robotic device will provide a more accurate and reliable measure of spasticity than existing clinical scales. This study aims to compare reliability between the robotic device and the two clinical measures, the MAS and MTS, in assessing spasticity in the elbow flexors of stroke survivors. Participants’ affected upper limb will be passively moved from flexion to extension using different speeds. This study will take place at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, in Australia.

After a period of hospitalisation, pulmonary rehabilitation can improve symptoms and function and reduce healthcare costs in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Yet less than 10% of people with COPD access pulmonary rehabilitation after a hospital stay. This multi-site randomised controlled trial will examine the benefits and costs of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation undertaken immediately following hospitalisation, compared to usual care, for people with COPD. It is hypothesised that Early HomeBase pulmonary rehabilitation will reduce hospital readmissions, and provide clinically significant improvements in exercise capacity and health-related quality of life, which are greater than those seen in the usual care group.

The aim of this project is to assess the reflux and retention of a therapeutic substance delivered into the sub-retinal space via two different techniques. We hypothesise that defining the space to be injected using an inert fluid (balanced salt solution) first (so-called 2-step injection) results in less drug wastage than attempting to inject directly under the retina with a drug-containing solution (so-called 1-step injection).

Cannabidiol has shown much promise for its immunomodulation and anti-inflammatory properties. The purpose of this trial is to investigate the effects of short-term oral supplementation of cannabidiol (CBD) prior to and following downhill running on serum markers of inflammation and muscle damage, functional recovery and perceived muscle soreness in untrained individuals. This will be a double blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study comprising two experimental conditions (CBD versus placebo). It is hypothesised that CBD will elicit reduced pro-inflammatory blood markers, reduced recovery time, and reduced subjective muscle soreness compared to placebo.

Ventilator hyperinflation (VHI) is used by physiotherapists in patients who are in intensive care and are receiving mechanical ventilation. VHI aims to move secretions out of the lungs towards the larger airways of the lung where they can be suctioned. This is achieved by giving a larger, slow breath via the ventilator and creating a fast expiration. Currently, little is reported on the actual ability to bias the flow inspiratory and expiratory flow rates during VHI. The primary aim of the study is to measure the characteristics of inspiratory and expiratory flows generated using different methods of VHI in patients receiving mechanical ventilation.

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) uses changing magnetic fields that alter activity in a part of the brain. This randomized control trial will assess 2 weeks of rTMS treatment in children with persistent post-concussions syndrome (PPCS) compared to sham treatment, and if a subsequent 2 week rTMS treatment leads to further PPCS improvement.