ANZCTR search results

This prospective, single-centre, randomised, clinical study assesses the impact of a web-based coaching program for knee replacement patients on anxiety, pain, and recovery of physical function. All patients will receive an educative guidebook issued by Hollywood Private Hospital and detailing their surgical and recovery course (Standard care). Those randomised to recieve Your Coach (YC) for Knee Surgery training will be given access to the web portal and be asked to complete care modules combining cognitive and physical strategies to help patients cope with emotional and physical stressors experienced when having a total joint replacement. The primary objectives are to assess whether web-based program is effective in reducing anxiety and pain, and subsequently enables earlier attainment of physical milestones such as first stand, independence walking with an aid, and hospital discharge. The secondary objectives are to assess potential carry-over to improve joint function, quality of life and reported level of satisfaction with their care and surgical outcome in the longer term. The study will enrol 44 participants over a 12 month period. The study time points will be pre-operatively at baseline and just prior to surgery, 1-2 weeks, 3-months and 1-year following surgery.

This project involves a three-arm randomised controlled trial that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Internet-based prevention and early intervention program ProYouth OZ in reducing weight and shape concerns and/or eating disorder symptoms in young people. An additional aim of this project is to examine whether the addition of synchronous online peer-to-peer support (i.e. Internet-based chat sessions in a group format) increases treatment effectiveness. The project has several aims: (1) To examine the effectiveness of ProYouth OZ compared to a wait-list control condition on a range of outcomes including eating disorder attitudes and behaviours, barriers towards seeking help, self-esteem, symptoms of depression and anxiety, quality of life, and social support. (2) To examine the effectiveness of ProYouth OZ with online peer support compared to ProYouth OZ without peer support on a range of outcomes including eating disorder attitudes and behaviours, barriers towards seeking help, self-esteem, symptoms of depression and anxiety, quality of life, and social support. (3) To explore engagement, adherence and use of the online peer-to-peer support groups. (4) To examine and compare users satisfaction of ProYouth OZ with and without online peer support.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of morbidity and premature death worldwide. It is projected that the number of fatalities related to CVD will increase to more than 24 million annually by 2030. In Australia, 1 in every 5 adults had CVD based on self-reported data, and 11% of all hospitalizations are caused by this deadly disease. The growing epidemic of CVD has resulted in calls for a universal model of care to provide rehabilitative and preventive services for all patients with this disease. Cardiac rehabilitation/secondary prevention programs (CR/SPPs) are medically supervised programs that help patients with CVD to recover more quickly after a cardiac event and to stay healthy. CR/SPPs have been shown to reduce readmission and mortality. However, despite the accumulating evidence and potential benefits, less than 30% of eligible patients participated in CR/SPPs. The aim of this project is to assess the current status of CR/SP services at Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH), identify strengths and limitations of the CR/SP program and to develop and implement strategies for improvement of services. This will involve review of previous data from medical records relating to the CR/SP program and a continuous quality improvement approach to refine services in accordance with international best practice. The project will use a mixed methods research approach. First, an audit of medical records will be performed to objectively quantify CR/SP referral, attendance and completion rates amongst acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients at FSH. Second, stakeholder surveys, focus group discussions and face-to-face interviews will be conducted to investigate barriers and facilitators to CR/SP service provision. For this second stage, current patients will be asked to complete a survey (and some to attend focus groups) and Cardiology Ward staff will be invited to complete a survey (and some attend individual interviews with the researchers). This information will be used to guide changes to CR/SP systems with the objective of increasing the number of patients receiving the core components of CR/SP program: assessment, nutritional counseling, aggressive risk factor management (ie, lipids, hypertension, weight, diabetes mellitus, and smoking), psychosocial and vocational counseling, and physical activity counseling and exercise training. Study summary 1. Audit: Two six-month audit cycles of consecutively admitted ACS patients will be conducted (for the six month periods beginning 1 January 2016 and 2017 respectively) with CR/SP program performance improvement strategies developed and implemented in between; 2. Patient and staff surveys: 100 ACS patients and 50 staff who work on the cardiology ward will be recruited to participate in the second part of the study with the completion of a survey; 3. Focus group discussions and interviews: Subsequent to the surveys, 30 patient participants and 10 staff participants will be invited to take part in focus group discussions and face-to-face interviews respectively. The responses from the surveys will be evaluated to establish common themes and to guide discussions in the focus groups. Although the project at FSH is an independent process monitoring and quality improvement initiative, it is also a key component of a larger project that aims to develop culturally appropriate CR/SP models for two mainland Chinese populations.

This research is aimed at evaluating two Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) informed skills based programs.. One Program is stand alone DBT Skills and the other DBT skills plus art making. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests DBT is a very effective treatment for many other disorders for example, addiction, depression and anxiety, eating disorders. Standard DBT comprises five approaches to assist patients. One of those approaches is a DBT Skills training group. There is also evidence that DBT Skills Training programs alone are effective in reducing impulsive behaviour and depression. (Linehan, M. 2nd Edition DBT Skills Training Manual 2015 Guilford NY). People who suffer the symptoms of emotional dysregulation are often considered to be unpredictable, unreliable and likely to experience problems with relationships both in community, work and in their family relations. As a Registered Art Therapist, the principal researcher has integrated creativity/art making within a standard 8 Week DBT Skills Training Program for many years. Repeated group evaluation of this approach has been positive on measures of both outcome and satisfaction with treatment. As a result the approach has now been standardised and is ready for evaluation in a clinical setting. The aims of the research are to test a DBT-Art approach along side a standard DBT control for efficacy Outcome measures will be symptom improvement and interpersonal function and participant satisfaction with treatment.

This study aims to evaluate the effects of Flex-Aid on the frequency of nocturnal foot and/or leg cramps when self-administered within 45 minutes before going to bed. We aim to assess the effect of Flex-Aid on quality of life and pain/intensity of the nocturnal foot and/or leg cramps as well as the safety and tolerability of Flex-Aid. FlexPharma hypothesizes that the acetic acid contained in teh pickle juice of teh beverage works by activating certain ion channels (Transient Receptor Potential TRP) which are known to exist in primary sensory neurons in mouth, esophagus and gut, and that their activation upregulate inhibitory circuitry in the spinal cord to prevent repetitive firing of alpha motor neurons thereby relieving the cramp. This study investigates whether natural activators of TRP ion channels may relieve muscle cramps.

This is a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the effect of a herbal extract. The aim is to investigatge if the formulation treats benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) symptoms in otherwise healthy males.

Parkinson's disease is characterised by a loss of dopamine in the brain that leads to movement dysfunctions such as slowness, impaired balance, resting tremor and muscle stiffness. The loss of dopamine also results in maladaptive brain plasticity, or an inability of the brain to adapt to a new stimulus, which is believed to underpin motor dysfunctions. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a form of non-invasive brain stimulation that uses low level electrical currents to alter brain plasticity and make the brain more receptive to stimuli, such as resistance training. The use of resistance training has been shown to improve movement function in patients with Parkinson's disease, however the concurrent use of both resistance training and tDCS has not yet been investigated. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of tDCS applied during 6 weeks of resistance training on walking and balance in patients with Parkinson's disease. Participants will be randomly allocated to receive either resistance training with tDCS, resistance training with sham tDCS, or standard care. Resistance training of the lower body will be performed 3 times per week for 6 weeks, one-on-one with an exercise physiologist in a specialised gym. Real tDCS will be delivered at 2mA for the first 20 mins of exercise. Sham tDCS will be delivered for 15 seconds, after which the unit will become inactive. It is hypothesised that the benefits of resistance training will be enhanced in patients receiving tDCS in comparison to those receiving sham tDCS, or standard care.

The proposed study is designed to (i) compare the glycaemic and incretin hormone responses after administration of glucose into the duodenum vs. ileum, and (ii) evaluate the incretin effect (IE) and gastrointestinal-mediated glucose disposal (GIGD) induced by intraduodenal (ID) and intraileal (II) glucose infusion using intravenous (IV) ‘isoglycaemic’ clamp, in both healthy subjects and patients in type 2 diabetes. Secondary objectives are to evaluate the effects of intraduodenal vs. intraileal glucose on blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) blood flow.

The proposed study is designed to determine, in patients with type 2 diabetes, (i) whether blood glucose, incretin hormone (ie. glucagon­like peptide­1 (GLP­1) and glucose­dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)), insulin, glucagon, and fibroblast growth factor­19 (FGF­19) concentrations in response to a small intestinal glucose infusion (2 kcal/min) are modified by intrajejunal infusion of taurocholic acid (TCA), (ii) the effect of TCA on small intestinal glucose absorption, and (iii) the relative contribution of the actions of GLP­1 to the lowering of glycaemia by TCA, using the specific antagonist, exendin (9­39). Additionally, changes in blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) blood flow in response to intrajejunal glucose infusion will be evaluated, in the presence and absence of intrajejunal TCA and intravenous exendin (9­39).

The primary purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of using cardiac MRI scans, cardiac ultrasound and blood tests to detect changes in heart function following completion of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy for cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 or over, and have been diagnosed with breast cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukaemia or other intra-thoracic/upper gastrointestinal malignancies such as cancer of the oesophagus or thymoma, for which chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy have been prescribed. Study details All participants in this study will undergo additional cardiac screening tests at timepoints before and after chemotherapy/radiation therapy up to 12 months following the end of therapy. These tests will include MRI scans, cardiac ultrasound scans and blood samples being taken. Results from these tests will be used to assess changes in cardiac function caused by the cancer therapy. It is hoped that the findings of this feasibility trial will ultimately aid early identification of heart injury due to cancer therapy, and thus enable prevention strategies and early treatment options in these patients.