ANZCTR search results

The aim of this study is to evaluate if a video decision aid (VDA) will reduce patient’s intention to commence or to continue to use opioids amongst patients with low back pain, or hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA) when compared to an attention control video. Participants with low back pain or hip or knee osteoarthritis will be recruited and randomly assigned to watch either an educational video or a control video. Surveys will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of a VDA in reducing the intention to commence or continue to use opioids amongst patients with LBP, or hip or knee OA when compared to an attention control video. It will also assess if the VDA improves the knowledge of management options, attitudes towards opioids, and the likelihood of making an informed choice in this population. We hypothesise that participants with LBP or hip or knee OA who watch a video decision aid will report a significantly lower intention to commence or continue using opioids for pain management compared to those who watch an attention control video.

Failure to address known risk factors in early life results in significant economic, social and health system burdens. While NSW Health is committed to enhancing child health and development during the First 2000 days (conception-5 years), child health in NSW remains poor. In NSW, Child and Family Health Nursing services provide routine Universal Health Home Visits. However, family engagement with face-to-face services are critically low, due to various health system (i.e. staff capacity) and parent challenges (i.e. incompatibility with family routines). Digital care models (e.g. text message) delivered direct to parents’ mobile phones presents an opportunity to revolutionise the delivery of universal health care across the First 2000 days. Effective models for scaling-up digital care to maximise reach and impact at the population level remains elusive. Provision of routine universal health care during the First 2000 days would be hugely valuable for this cohort and benefit all families in NSW. This research will compare two models of scaling-up an evidence-based digital program targeting child health and development in the First 2000 days (HB4HNEKids). Community and Family Health Nurse services in Hunter New England (HNE) will be randomised to receive either an automated ‘opt-out’ model or clinician initiated ‘opt-in’ model of offering HB4HNEKids to families. The automated ‘opt-out’ model will automatically enrol parents into receiving HB4HNEKids as the intervention will be integrated within existing digital clinical systems. The clinician initiated ‘opt-in’ model will use evidence-based strategies to support clinicians to implement systematic offers to parents to ‘opt-in’ to HB4HNEKids. It is hypothesised that the clinician initiated ‘opt-in’ model will be more impactful (i.e. have high reach and greater effectiveness), however we hypothesise that the automated ‘opt-out’ model will have greater reach, representative of the population and be more cost effective to deliver.

Tuberculosis (TB) kills over 1.4 million people each year and has been the top infectious cause of death worldwide since 2015. Drug resistance is a major driver of prolonged morbidity and mortality, contributing to poor outcomes and allowing ongoing transmission of this airborne infection. Drug-resistant TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is resistant to at least one of the four first-line antibiotics used in combination to treat TB (isoniazid [INH], rifampicin [RIF], pyrazinamide [PZA] or ethambutol [EMB]). No trials of INH-resistant (INH-R) TB have been performed since the availability of later-generation fluoroquinolones (FQs), one of the best-tolerated and most effective group of antibiotics against TB. Safer and more effective regimens are needed. WHO called for treatment trials for INH-R TB, yet none are planned based upon our review of trial registries. The study hypothesis is that six months of an antibiotic treatment that includes a fluoroquinolone antibiotic will improve treatment outcomes for patients with isoniazid-resitsant tuberculosis. The research question to be addressed by this trial is: “What is the effectiveness and safety of a 6-month fluoroquinolone-containing intervention regimen, with 2 months of pyrazinamide, in comparison to that of a control regimen not containing a fluoroquinolone for treatment of isoniazid-resistant fluoroquinolone resistant tuberculosis?”

Audit comparing amount of nursing time taken and accuracy of blood glucose levels recorded in the electronic medical record for the standard Nova Biomedical glucose meter currently used for clinical care compared with the AMSL wi-fi connectivity Statstrip glucose meter. Nova Biomedical manufactures a wi-fi connectivity glucose meter which can upload its glucose data directly to the patient electronic medical record (eMR). We anticipate that using the wi-fi connectivity glucose meters will substantially save nursing time and also contribute to an increase in the accuracy of glucose recording in the eMR. We plan to compare the time taken to check and record in the eMR a finger prick glucose level using each glucose meter type and to determine the proportion of glucose levels recorded accurately in the eMR by each technique (correct patient, correct time, correct glucose level and delay to glucose being documented in the eMR).

A study to investigate the differences in subjective, objective and quality of life outcomes between sacral colpopexy with mesh (Type 1 polypropylene) versus alternative graft (autologous fascia lata) at 6, 12, 24 month and 5 years

This is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, ascending dose study to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of EMP-012, and how this drug acts in the body in healthy volunteers. EMP-012 may be indicated for use in patients with Chronic Lung Disease, but a trial of the drug in healthy volunteers is needed before trials in Chronic Lung Disease patients can proceed. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged 18 to 65 years and are in good general health without a clinically significant medical history. Study details All healthy volunteer participants who choose to enrol in this study will be assigned by chance to receive either a single dose of EMP-012 or placebo. All participants will have their vital signs checked (heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, etc), and will provide blood and urine samples for testing. It is hoped this research will determine the maximum dose of EMP-012 that can be administered safely without causing severe reactions. Once the dose of EMP-012 has been determined in healthy volunteers, a trial investigating the efficacy of EMP-012 as a treatment for patients with Chronic Lung Disease may proceed.

We propose to test a promising model of care for individuals with persistent LBP that provides immediate access to a psychologically based and internet-delivered pain management intervention in addition to usual care from physiotherapists and chiropractors. While the current study is dedicated to determining feasibility and acceptability of this model of care, we do hypothesise that this approach will broadly be sustainable, scalable, enhance clinical outcomes, economically efficient, improve access to healthcare resources, and increase the capacity of the health system to deliver multi-disciplinary care.

This project aims to develop and then pilot the following: (i) An evidence-based risk stratification algorithm for use by home care staff to identify deteriorating aged care clients who are at high fall-risk, drawing on recently available guidelines, followed by; (ii) A structured mobility and falls assessment, using evidence-based tools, able to be delivered rapidly by a virtual (i.e., telehealth / videoconference enabled) consultation with an AHP aided by a member of the clients’ usual care team being present in the client’s home.

Understanding the effect of intoxication on witnesses is important to the legal system, but there are key gaps in our knowledge in this area. While the research on alcohol and memory is advancing (e.g., see Jores et al., 2019), there is still little known on other substance effects in an eyewitness context. Specifically, there is minimal research on amphetamines and event memory, and no known research on any type of amphetamines and their impact on face recognition in a line-up context. This leaves many remaining questions and gaps which this study aims to fill as itpertains to dosage, timing, expectancy effects (i.e., anticipating potential substance effects that influence performance). Furthermore, many crimes are distressing in nature, however minimal research has explored intoxication and memory in the context of a distressing event. The role of stress must also be addressed because stress hormones are released during amphetamine use. This requires research about whether stress and amphetamine intoxication combine to impact memory. Additionally, it is unclear whether alcohol use will reduce the stress response, or whether stress will lead to a pause in alcohol metabolism, and how either of these may interact with memory. Study hypotheses: it is anticipated that alcohol may impair memory completeness but not accuracy, whereas it is possible that dexamfetamine may improve memory. An exploratory aim is to investigate whether stress impacts drug response (e.g., makes drug effects more or less pronounced and subsequently impacts memory accordingly).

This study aims to explore whether an audiovisual medium is more effective than written information for patients seeking information necessary for informed consent for robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged 18 years or older, you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and you have been scheduled to undergo a robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy. Study details All participants who choose to enrol in this study will be randomly allocated by chance (similar to flipping a coin) to one of two groups. Participants allocated to the first group will be asked to watch a 10 minute animated video about the robotic-assisted prostatectomy procedure prior to answering questions about the procedure and the consent process. Participants allocated to the second group will be asked to read an information pamphlet about the robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy via a website prior to answering questions about the procedure and the consent process. It is hoped this research will determine whether presenting prostate cancer patients with audio-visual information about a complex surgical procedure allows patients to develop a greater understanding of the procedure compared to traditional written pamphlets.