ANZCTR search results

In summary, diabetes is a major health concern worldwide with its prevalence continuing to increase. Diabetic neuropathy is associated with pain, loss of sensation, loss of ambulation, decreased quality of life and can ultimately result in amputation. Previous studies have shown that central loss of sensation can be decreased with sensory retraining, particularly in people with chronic sensory loss, proving it is more of a “learned” non-use mechanism. Therefore it can be postulated that a sensory retraining intervention for diabetic patients may improve their peripheral sensory appreciation (via attention and practice) which may ultimately lead to improved health and quality of life.

The objective of the study is to evaluate an alternative model of care using a nurse practitioner for patients presenting to emergency departments with minor conditions. The hypothesis is that patients with minor conditions seen initially by nurse practitioners are more satisfied with their care compared to those seen initially by an emergency department doctor. The hypothesis will be tested using a randomised controlled trial study design.

The primary purpose of the study was test an intervention designed to improve the extent to which staff in Indigenous primary health care clinics were able to support pregnant women who were smokers to quit smoking during their pregnancy. We hypothesised that among the group of women exposed to the intervention the quit smoking rates would be 20% higher than among the group of women exposed to usual care smoking cessation support and advice.

This is a pilot study to evaluate whether acupuncture has any effect on lateral epicondyle "tennis elbow" pain as measured by pressure pain threshold and a disease specific questionnaire.

Depression during pregnancy (antenatal depression) is a clinical condition in its own right, which has been under-recognised and is in urgent need of an evidence-based treatment. This study will evaluate our Beating the Blues before Birth (BBB) program as a treatment for antenatal depression. It is hypothesised that women receiving the BBB program will report less depression and anxiety at post-treatment and at 6-month follow-up than women in the routine care condition.

This project will test the effectiveness and feasibility of promoting helpful self-help strategies to individuals with depressive symptoms (but not major depression) via regular emails. The effect of these will be compared to receiving emails containing general information about depression. We wish to see whether the emails reduce depressive symptoms in participants, and whether they prevent participants from developing major depression.

When children are hospitalised, they often require fluid through an intravenous line (or “drip”). This is usually because they can’t eat or drink enough to stay hydrated. The fluid is made up of water, sugar and some salts. There is uncertainty regarding the ideal sodium concentration for fluid given through a drip. Sodium is a salt which is naturally contained in the body. However, when sodium levels in the body rise or fall suddenly, it is dangerous. In rare cases, this has led to brain damage and death. Currently, when children need intravenous fluid, they are usually given a fluid that contains about half the concentration of sodium that the blood in the body naturally contains. This fluid is called 0.45% sodium chloride. For most children, this doesn’t have a bad effect. However, in some sick children, this fluid “dilutes” the blood, causing the blood sodium level to drop quickly. This side effect is rare, but is potentially very serious. We believe that we can make the fluid safer by increasing the sodium concentration. This should make it less likely that the sodium level in the blood will drop suddenly. This, in turn, should reduce the number of children who have bad side effects. We will conduct a study that compares the fluid we currently use (0.45% sodium chloride) with a fluid that contains more sodium (Plasmalyte148). Plasmalyte148 contains approximately the same concentration of sodium as is naturally contained in the blood. This is approximately double the concentration of sodium when compared with 0.45% sodium chloride. Children at the Royal Children’s Hospital who require fluid through a drip will be asked to participate in the trial. They will be randomly allocated either to 0.45% sodium chloride or to Plasmalyte148. The participants will not know the type of fluid they receive, nor will their doctors. The participants will be monitored with regular blood tests. The children will stay in the study for three days, or until they no longer require most of their hydration through a drip. We will compare blood test results for the children in each group (the 0.45% sodium chloride group compared with the Plasmalyte148 group). We will determine whether Plasmalyte148 results in more normal blood sodium results when compared with the fluid we currently use.

There is promising evidence that acupuncture improves pregnancy and live birth rates for women when administered as an adjunct to IVF on the day of ET. The aim of this study is to build a research framework to further investigate the evidence for acupuncture administered within an integrated care setting in reproductive health care. The integrative care proposal is a partnership between IVF Australia, The Acupuncture IVF Support Clinic and The University of Western Sydney. We will conduct early phase research to examine a potential mechanism for acupuncture when administered as an adjunct to IVF.

A pilot randomised study (ACTRN12609000452291) has been conducted and this current study is a larger multi-centre randomised controlled trial (RCT). This RCT will further evaluate a novel telephone-based intervention for carers of patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer. The intervention involves five structured calls from a nurse to the carer over 10 weeks, aiming to improve psychosocial outcomes for carers. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the intervention on carers quality of life, unmet supportive care needs, psychological distress and carer burden. This study will also ascertain effectiveness of the carer intervention to improve patient outcomes (patients unmet needs, psychological distress, quality of life and unplanned health service utilisation).

The study is designed to assess the effectiveness of removing polyps in the colon using a common technique, the biopsy forceps.