ANZCTR search results

Patient harm from medications is common; 7% of patients (ie 1 in 14) will have a significant medication harm event in hospital, many due to prescribing errors. Direct pharmacist involvement in patient care improves safe medication management by reducing errors. Pharmacists are well known for identifying and rectifying prescribing errors, however, this is usually done after the error is made. We propose shifting from a reactive (waiting for a prescription) to a proactive model, where the pharmacist works collaboratively with the doctor at the point of care. This project will evaluate a pharmacist-physician team-based model compared to usual care in an adult general medical population at two hospital sites. This model will include extended scope roles (e.g. collaborative ordering of medications) and occur throughout the patients entire hospital stay (including at admission, on inpatient ward rounds and at discharge). After patients have discharged, we will retrospectively review patient's electronic medical records and hospital cost data. We hypothesise benefits in safety, medication appropriateness, continuity of care and cost.

The main aim of this study is to investigate the safety and feasibility of transcranial photobiomodulation intervention, using infrared LEDs, for patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. It is hypothesised that the application of transcranial photobiomodulation might produce clinically meaningful improvements in the quality of life for people living with Parkinson's disease. This feasibility study will inform on a larger, adequately powered randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an infection of the lungs where the lungs become inflamed. CAP is most commonly caused by bacterial infections however during the seasonal ‘flu epidemics and novel pandemics such as COVID-19, viral infections may predominate. Severe CAP requires treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU) and often support of breathing with a ventilator. In Australia pneumonia is the most common infection treated in ICU and unfortunately often proves fatal. Additionally, there is a large economic cost and survivors are often left with significant reductions in their quality of life. The body’s immune responses in the lung is designed to kill and eliminate the bacteria or viruses causing the infection but can also cause collateral damage to the lung through inflammation and injury. the lung has specialised immune cells called Tissue Resident Memory T-cells, (TRM)that play a crucial role in protecting the lung against bacteria and viruses. As the name suggests this specialised type of immune cells are ‘resident’ in the lung tissues and are not detected in the circulating blood. In this preliminary study we will evaluate a system to collect and study TRM -cells in mechanically ventilated patients with severe CAP. We will compare the immune responses of patients with severe CAP caused by COVID-19, other viral infections and bacterial infections. We will also compare patients with severe CAP to two different control groups. The first control group will be mechanically ventilated patients with lung injury not caused by infection. The second control group will be mechanically ventilated patients without evidence of lung injury. Studying the local immune response in this way will offer insights into how severe CAP occurs, may help identify which patients are going to need to most support and may identify new treatments for this important condition.

By conducting a double-blind randomised, controlled trial with 150 participants, we will evaluate the effect of behaviour change text messages over 6 months. The intervention involves sending contact lens (CL) wearers a sequence of text messages, similar to the ones that have been proven to be successful in other public health areas such as cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and obesity. The text messages have been carefully co-designed and constructed to be educational and persuasive with the aim to change the behaviour of participants. Participants will be recruited from online advertisements, including social media, and also from optometry clinics. A pre-determined sequence of up to four text messages per week will be sent to the test group by using an online platform. The control group will get a minimal sequence of administrative messages. Data collection will be through a series of self-report questionnaires which will occur at baseline, 3-months, and 6-months.

Babies in intensive care nurseries often have long-term lines inserted into their veins. The insertion site can continue ooze blood and affect the integrity of the dressing. We are studying whether using medical glue when the line is inserted can reduce the rate of bleeding afterwards. Glue may also be able to reduce the rate of lines accidentally coming out, as well as helping prevent babies from developing line-related infections.

The purpose of this study is to compare the accuracy of 3D total-body imaging and smartphone images compared with in-person assessment of psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged 18 or over and have atopic dermatitis or psoriasis. Study details All participants will have three-dimensional total body photography to photograph their atopic dermatitis or psoriasis. These scans will happen at two study visits, 3 months apart. At both visits two doctors will additionally evaluate the severity of the participants' skin disease. Participants will be asked to photograph their skin disease after each visit at home using the study app and their own smartphone. At the end of the study, participants will be asked to complete a online survey asking about their experience with the technologies in the study. It is hoped this research will improve diagnosis of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether topical sirolimus cream is able to reduce the occurrence of skin cancer in solid organ transplant recipients who are at high risk. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged 18 years or above. You will also have received an organ transplant 12 months ago or earlier, had previous skin cancer, and have 5 or more keratotic lesions on your face. Study details Participants will be randomly assigned to use either the sirolimus cream or a placebo cream. Participants will apply the cream to their face every night for six months. For monitoring, participants will be asked to visit the clinic at the start of the study, then 3 months and 6 months later and fill out questionnaires at these visits. At the 6-month visit, a blood test will also be done. Participants' health records will also be passively monitored for 24 months. It is hoped that this research will indicate if sirolimus cream is effective in preventing skin cancer, and thus reduce the occurrence of skin cancer in people who are at high risk.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the BioEye application will provide eye marker information that may assist medical clinicians in administering pain management programs, to reduce opioid dependency for chronic pain sufferers. The hypothesis being tested is that opioid withdrawal can be detected by abnormalities in BioEye measurements, and these will correlate to subjective assessment of withdrawal. The study asks opioid dependent chronic pain patients to use the experimental eCovery app to monitor opioid use and have measurements of eye movement made using the BioEye eye tracking application at clinic visits over a three month period.

High risk MDS is a challenging condition with limited treatment options. Patients often depend on blood transfusions and unfortunately chemotherapy is rarely successful as a treatment option. The main type of therapy used in MDS are hypomethylating agents (HMAs) such as Azacitidine (AZA) and Decitabine (DEC). Traditionally, combination therapy has not proven to be effective in MDS given the increased toxicity of drugs used in combination with AZA, even where the overall responses may have been promising. Therefore, this trial aims to test a relatively non-cytotoxic drug called ES-3000, in combination with a HMA named ASTX727. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 16 years or above, and have a diagnosis of MDS or acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) with <30% blasts. Trial details: All participants will receive treatment in 28-day cycles. At first, each participant will receive a single cycle of ES-3000 alone, in order to take blood samples at various timepoints throughout the day to establish how the drug is metabolised by the body. ES-3000 is an oral tablet administered three times per day on days 1-14 of the cycle. Each subsequent participant recruited to the trial will receive a higher dose of ES-3000, until the dose is no longer tolerated. From the second cycle onwards, participants will receive the same dose of ES-3000 in combination with a previously established safe dose of ASTX727 once per day on days 1-5 of each cycle. This will continue until the participant experiences either unacceptable toxicity, or disease progression. Participants will be monitored for adverse effects for the duration of treatment, as well as every 3 months for assessment of their response to treatment through blood samples and bone marrow biopsies, and assessment of quality of life through completion of a questionnaire. It is hoped that this study may show that ES-3000 administered in combination with Inqovi is safe and effective for the treatment of MDS and AML. This study may help to inform the dosing of ES-3000 required for patients with these conditions in future.

Knee osteoarthritis causes persistent pain and difficulty in daily activities. Although exercise is the cornerstone of conservative treatment for knee osteoarthritis, its effects are, at best, moderate. We aim to conduct a ‘proof of concept’ study to explore the use of a novel intervention combining non-invasive brain stimulation and exercise therapy in people with knee osteoarthritis. We hypothesise that this intervention will have a greater effect on the biological mechanisms that contribute to persistent pain and disability in knee osteoarthritis, and therefore provide greater benefits than exercise therapy alone.