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Lay summary When a patient has their appendix removed (appendicectomy), the specimen is then examined under a microscope in a laboratory. Most show an inflamed appendix (appendicitis), as expected, a few are normal (negative), and approximately 10% show important unexpected findings (pathology). These include cancer, pre-cancerous growths (polyps), abnormally located cells from the womb (endometriosis) or parasites. In 2005, a new structure of care for patients with appendicitis and other emergency general surgery (EGS) conditions. Unlike the previous Traditional arrangements, this acute surgical unit (ASU) model allocated separate teams to elective and emergency patients. Many studies have shown that the ASU model reduces the time spent waiting for the operating theatre, the overall time spent in hospital and complications. However, it is unclear whether this dedicated team for EGS patients leads to better care or communication when unexpected findings occur. Therefore, amongst appendicectomy patients with important incidental findings, we aimed to assess whether introducing an ASU led to better surgeon-to-patient and surgeon-to-general practitioner communication, and better management.

This is an interventional study where adults with COPD are recruited from Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs three Perth hospital sites. The study's intervention is behaviour change techniques to reduce sedentary time with adults with COPD and this is conducted over a nine month period.

Research has shown that effective psychological prevention programs can prevent depression in approximately 22% of young people at risk. However, a major challenge is delivering these prevention interventions at scale, which have until now been expensive and typically delivered face-to-face. The Future Proofing study will identify how we can use smartphones to deliver effective psychological preventive interventions on a large scale, reaching young people universally by partnering with schools. The aim of the study is to determine whether SPARX – an app-based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) program can prevent the onset of depression in Year 8 school students, who will be followed up for five years. The study will also examine the effects of the intervention on a range of mental health symptoms, wellbeing, and drug and alcohol use at 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months. The study will also examine the effect of a second insomnia app (‘Sleep Ninja’) on depression in those who show high symptoms of depression 12-months after using SPARX. The Future Proofing study aims to involve 10,000 Year 8 students from across 200 schools in New South Wales. It is anticipated that receiving a CBT prevention program at this developmental stage will significantly reduce the number of young people who go on to experience depression.

We are recruiting healthcare professionals aged over 18 years old to participate in a 1-year internet based study, called the Actionable Intime Insights (AI2) Study . The study aims to explore whether the use of patients Medicare Benefit Scheme (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) claims data held in My Health Record, can unveil more sufficient ways for clinicians and other healthcare professionals to provide optimal health care to patients with a chronic mental illness. Specifically, when people go to visit their doctors, they typically lodge a MBS or PBS claim to subsidise some of the payment costs. However, to date, there has not been a successful way of monitoring and managing the MBS and PBS data. We hope that we can be the first to provide a long-term sustainable solution to this problem, with the implementation of our novel digital application called the Actionable Intime Insights (AI2) application. We believe the AI2 application will help transform the way clinicians and patients interact with each other and ultimately improve patient’s well-being and outcomes.

Media Smart (MS) is an 8-lesson school-based program that was developed by Dr Wilksch and Prof Wade and has been evaluated in a systematic program of research with over 2,000 participants. MS is now considered the leading ED risk reduction program worldwide for school-based, universal settings (i.e., given to all students regardless of risk status rather than selecting those at high-risk of an ED). However, many schools find 8 lessons difficult to timetable within the busy school program and given competing demands. Therefore the overall aim is to conduct an RCT to assess the efficacy of MS when it is delivered in shortened formats, namely a 2- and 4-lesson version, compared to the full 8-lesson program. The study design will include school class randomisation to: MS–2 lessons (MS-2); MS–4 lessons (MS-4); the full 8-lesson MS program (MS-8) and control group (normal school lessons with provision of a 1-page tip sheet on improving body image). Consistent with previous RCTs, MS will be delivered by trainee psychologists who will receive 5-hours of training in the program. Students will complete measures at baseline, post-program, 6- and 12-month follow-up. Measures will assess disordered eating and ED risk factors. This research is important in assisting with dissemination of the program given greater uptake is likely with a shorter curriculum. The rationale is not to replace MS-8 but to provide schools with informed, evidence-based alternatives for shorter versions that can better fit into the school program.

This project will be the first to test the effectiveness of the sleep wearable device called THIM for administering Intensive Sleep Retraining in the home environment. We will also examine the ability of THIM to provide effective and affordable treatment for insomnia, improve individual sleep health and general well-being. We predict that THIM-administered Intensive Sleep Retraining intervention condition will demonstrate: • increased total sleep time and sleep efficiency; • reduced sleep onset latency and time awake after sleep onset; • improvements in daytime functioning measures Compared to the Sleep Hygiene Control condition at post-treatment and two-month follow up time points.

Orthokeratology (OK) lenses are rigid contact lenses that are designed to be worn during sleep. Their purpose is to reshape the front surface of the eye (cornea) in order to temporarily correct short- sightedness, also known as myopia. Although their primary aim is to correct myopia and provide clear unaided vision during the day, studies have shown that they also have an effect on slowing or stopping the progression of short-sightedness in children, termed myopia control. Currently, research is underway to understand centration of OK lenses and the optical effects as a result of centration which may promote myopia control. Although optometrists will typically assess the centration of the lens in the open eye, it is not clear how much this influences treatment zone centration after overnight wear in the closed eye, and this warrants investigation. The aim of this project is to compare open eye lens centration with treatment zone centration after 3 nights of overnight wear of OK lenses. We will investigate open eye lens centration with and without eyelid interactions, as well as lens centration immediately after eye opening following short-term eye closure. Our intent is to determine how these measurements can be used clinically to predict treatment zone centration after overnight OK lens wear.

This study will look at different methods for administering anaesthesia for total knee replacements. The technical options we use nowadays are mostly spinal anaesthesia and general anaesthesia. In the past, spinal anaesthesia was the preferred option amongst anaesthetists. Today, the evidence shows that both techniques are similar in terms of complications. However, we still don't know which technique provides better pain relief. In this study, we will look into the pain levels of fifty patients who are having knee replacement surgery by checking the amount of morphine they have used during the research. Patients will be divided in 2 groups, general anaesthesia group and the spinal anaesthesia group. Patients won't be able to choose the group they are participating since this process will be done by an online tool. We hypothesise that the pain will be similar in both groups independent of the anaesthetic technique used. We will also look for patient satisfaction regarding the type of anaesthesia, nausea and vomiting and the anaesthesia efficiency. Results will help both patients and anaesthetists to have more information and more freedom to choose their preferred technique for this procedure.

The Best Start Trial aims to determine whether targeted physiotherapy interventions initiated up to 4-5 months earlier than typically commenced (3 months corrected age), will improve motor outcomes at the 16 week time point in infants at risk of cerebral palsy or motor delay. Parents or caregivers will be closely coached by physiotherapists in the provision of targeted motor interventions to their infant, commencing as early as 34 weeks gestational age until their infant is 16 weeks old. The motor outcomes of infants receiving the parent administered physiotherapy or motor therapy will be compared to current "usual care" to determine if either of these approaches is more beneficial than the other. It is hypothesised that the parent-administered approach will be more beneficial than "usual care" because of it's targeted physiotherapy content and improved continuity of physiotherapy delivery from the NICU to home.

The main purpose of this study is to assess if there is an association between cardiorespiratory fitness and acute aerobic exercise on tumour blood flow in patients with cancer that has spread to the liver. A secondary aim of the study is to determine the most effective exercise intensity for increasing tumour blood flow. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged over 18 and diagnosed with stage IV cancer with a liver metastases. Study details All participants in this study will be required to attend a single visit. Participants will perform an aerobic fitness test (YMCA). After a rest period, participants will ride on an exercise bike for 5 minutes, or take part in the sub-study which participants will complete 3 cycling tasks of varying difficulty. Each will last for 5 minutes and there will be a rest period in between each one. Physiological measurements will be taken before, during and after the intervention, including blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation, as well as oxygen consumption and ultrasound measures. The study will extend the work of a current pilot study, investigating the safety and feasibility of intra-infusion aerobic exercise and help progress towards clinical application. The results will not provide a full picture into the mechanism or relationship of tumour blood flow and chemotherapy delivery but rather provide a platform for further research.