ANZCTR search results

The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of an Australian-designed online cognitive behavioural therapy intervention for insomnia called Sleep-e. Insomnia is a very common sleep problem but many people do not access available treatment. Interventions that are delivered via the internet, such as Sleep-e, can increase the communities’ access to treatment, and improve health outcomes. Participants who are on the waiting list for the Insomnia Clinic at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital at Austin Health will be invited to take part in the study. Participants will initially complete a range of questionnaires via the internet about their sleep, and also complete sleep diaries and wear a wrist actigraph watch outlining their current sleep patterns. Participants will then complete a 7 week online program, based on cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. Every week, participants will be asked to read one module, complete homework activities based on the module, and also complete weekly sleep diaries. After the program has been completed, participants will be given questionnaires, sleep diaries and the wrist actigraph watch to re-assess their sleep. The time commitment for the program is approximately 1 hour per week over a 9 week period. Upon completion of the program, participants will have their appointment with the Insomnia Clinic.

Purpose of the study is to assess the usefulness and potential effectiveness of Dignity Therapy in reducing psychological and spiritual distress in newly admitted residents to Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs). The study will also assess the impact of the intervention on the service provider and care provision. The intervention entails interviewing residents using a series of guided questions about their past life and events that are important to them and producing an edited document that could be shared with other family members and service providers. A comparison group will receive another intervention (Friendly Visit).

This study aims to define which patients will benefit most from the High Flow Humidified Nasal Cannula as apposed to standard oxygen therapy in the acute Emergency department setting. Outcomes which we will be measuring include improved vital signs, length of stay in the Emergency Department, need for escalation to non invasive and invasive ventialtion and patient comfort.

This project is a randomized control trial that will deliver and evaluate a highly innovative intervention for people with aphasia (i.e. loss of or reduction in the ability to use language) following stroke. Pilot work with the intervention, based around narrative structure and daily communication activities, has been successful in significantly improving language ability in everyday communication. The study will recruit 20 people with aphasia from Royal Perth Hospital and compare the novel protocol to usual speech pathology intervention. Outcomes will significantly refine future intervention with people with aphasia and facilitate translation of theory into routine clinical practice.

Our aim was to find a suitable replacement for mercury sphygmomanometry to measure blood pressure in pregnancy. A mercury-free sphygmomanometer and an automated oscillometric device were compared with mercury sphygmomanometry in 170 hypertensive and 170 normotensive pregnant women. The mercury-free sphygmomanometer appears to be the more accurate and an acceptable replacement for mercury in pregnancy.

The purpose of this study is to compare the physical and mental health of mothers, and the health and development of their babies, in women who had high blood pressure in their pregnancy and women who had normal blood pressure. Specific aims are to: 1. establish normal ranges in our local population in the first five years after birth 2. Identify significant differences from normal in women who had high blood pressure 3. Identify women and/or infants who may be at increaed risk of physical, mental or developmental problems in the long term The primary hypothesis is that women who had high blood pressure in their pregnancy will have abnormal physical parameters eg higher blood pressure, more frequent depressive symptoms and their babies are more likely to have health and/or developmental problems at six months and two years of age.

Health in early life has a profound impact on health and quality of life in later years. Up to 75% of adolescents have experienced back pain with children and adolescents more likely to have recurrent pain in adulthood that may develop into disabling psychological distress and illness behaviour. Chiropractors treat adolescents with low back pain primarily using various forms of spinal manipulation. However, there is no high quality evidence to support or refute the effectiveness of chiropractic, or other manual approaches, for back pain in adolescents. There is also no agreement on what is thought to be the “best” approach for chiropractors to care for adolescents with non-specific low back pain. Hence, we undertook a Delphi study to construct a best chiropractic practice guideline for adolescent low back pain which we intend to administer in a randomised controlled trial. The objectives of this study are to: examine the feasibility of implementing a protocol of best practice chiropractic care for adolescents with non-specific low back pain; and undertake a pilot study of a randomised trial of chiropractic care for non-specific low-back pain in adolescents to examine the feasibility of conducting a fully powered randomised trial.

Aims: To develop the methodology for point of care (POC) testing to determine the level of exposure to organophosphates (OP’s) by western Victorian farmers. Significance: This methodology will test for cholinesterase activity (enzyme that is inhibited by organophosphates) and provide the basis for future research work by identifying the potential chemical exposure pathways of individuals most at risk in farming communities. Expected Outcomes: The study will provide a validated methodology for cholinesterase activity measurement in farmers and the integration of this testing in farmer health checks. Importantly, it will highlight insecticide contact as a risk for farmers, leading to further research to quantify pesticide exposure both on the farm and in the home of farming families.

The RESOLVE study: A Single-arm Clinical Study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the EnteroMedics Maestro System in the management of patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. EnteroMedics Maestro Registered Trademark Rechargeable System (“Maestro System”) This is a prospective, single arm clinical study. The main objectives of this study are to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the EnteroMedics Maestro System in the management of patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Additionally, the study intends to further explore potential physiologic mechanisms of the Maestro System’s impact on these two disease processes. Up to 25 patients. Patient data will be collected at baseline, index procedure, 1, 7, 14, 30 days, 6 months, and at quarterly intervals through three years post-implant

The aim of this study is to discover if antibiotics given prior to complex surgery on the nose, ear or below knee prevents infection.