ANZCTR search results

La Trobe University’s Centre for Ergonomics & Human Factors developed an evidence-based risk management ‘toolkit’ intended for routine workplace use to manage risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) more effectively. It is called APHIRM (a Participative Hazard Identification & Risk Management) toolkit. This toolkit has been further developed to manage work-related mental health disorders (MHDs), as well as MSDs. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate both the implementation processes and impact of this toolkit when used by workers in the Manufacturing sector as part of their workplace procedures to control MSD & MHD hazard and risk levels. Implementation by workplace personnel will be supported by researchers, who will use workplace feedback to amend some toolkit components if needed to maximise its practicability and ease of use. The research team is recruiting six medium/large organisations in the Manufacturing industry sector. Organisations will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group. The intervention group will receive free toolkit training and full support to implement the toolkit. The control group will have an opportunity to implement the toolkit at the end of the study. Workers in both the intervention and control organisations will complete an online survey to determine their pain/discomfort, and levels of stress. They will also provide responses to questions related to their workplace which will identify the top 10 hazards. These surveys will be undertaken at baseline and 12 months post intervention.

This study is a pilot to inform a larger RCT that will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and adaptive trial methods to discover the most effective treatments to provide to Australian university students, 25% of whom experience severe psychological distress and, consequently, drop out of study or go on to develop more severe psychiatric disorders in their peak years. Both the pilot study and the planned RCT (to be registered after this pilot study) will compare app-delivered self-care intervention for psychological distress in tertiary students based on mindfulness, physical activity and sleep hygiene, with an active control condition consisting of Ecological Momentary Assessment (daily mood monitoring). The current pilot study aims to test the feasibility of the study infrastructure, including study app, intervention content, and the algorithm.

The primary objective is to evaluate, through a randomised controlled trial, the clinical efficacy of an Internet-delivered pain self-management program, the Youth Pain Course, for adolescents with chronic pain. Clinical efficacy will be assessed through clinically meaningful (>30%) improvements in primary (physical functioning) and secondary (pain effects, emotional functioning, role functioning) outcomes at post-treatment. We hypothesise that: (a) The Youth Pain Course will result in improvements in physical functioning at the completion of treatment; (b) The Youth Pain Course will result in improvements in pain effects (intensity, frequency, affect and cognitions), emotional functioning (anxiety and depressions symptoms), and role functioning (quality of life, school presenteeism and absenteeism) at the completion of treatment; and (c) Improvements on primary and secondary outcomes will be maintained at 3- and 12-months post-treatment. The secondary objectives of this project are to explore predictors and moderators of treatment response to guide program improvements and research directions. These objectives are exploratory, and no specific hypotheses can be made; however, the results of these analyses will guide the further development, evaluation and eventual deployment of the treatment.

Eosinophilic oesophagitis is a chronic allergic, inflammatory disorder that leads to oesophageal dysfunction. The underlying eosinophilic inflammation seen on biopsy manifests itself clinically with symptoms such as dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), food impaction and heartburn. The mainstays of therapy include both pharmacological and dietary modifications. Elimination diets involve patients empirically eliminating all common allergens with gradual re-introduction and reassessment to then identify the offending food antigen(s). Although studies have demonstrated the efficacy of elimination diets in EoE, the high level of dietary restriction, duration of intensive follow-up and requirement for multiple endoscopies limits patient participation. Consequently, finding a process to identify the offending food allergens for a targeted elimination diet would be beneficial. The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of using food-specific IgG4 (FS-IgG4) to direct a targeted elimination diet in patients with eosinophilic oesophagitis. The effectiveness will be determined by clinical assessment with a symptom survey, as well as histological improvement (via endoscopy and biopsy).

A hip fracture can have a serious impact on an older person’s everyday life. Recovery is complex and extends well beyond discharge from hospital with the transition home presenting significant challenges for older people and their carers. Planning for discharge home enables health professionals and older people to work together to identify any needs and organise support after discharge. This study aims to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of using telerehabilitation via a smartphone, tablet or computer to deliver a pre-discharge home safety intervention in a sample of 40 older adults recovering in hospital after hip fracture. Feasibility will be considered in relation to demand, acceptability, practicality and limited efficacy with a view to applying telerehabilitation home safety assessments to older people recovering in hospital after hip fracture who are planning to return to community living.

The overall aim of the FDCC study is to evaluate: 1) impact, of FDCC (an integrated Child and Family Health (CFH) hub with navigation support) on attendance at CFH services and completion of CFH checks, support of child growth and development, breastfeeding and maternal wellbeing, and meeting family psychosocial needs. 2) process of implementing FDCC and: (implementation evaluation – future Phase 2 of study not applicable to current ANZCTR). 3) cost-effectiveness of FDCC. (economic evaluation – future Phase 2 of study not applicable to current ANZCTR). FDCC is a non-randomised study of newly arrived migrants and refugee women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who are:newly arrived migrant (< 10 years in Australia) or self-identified refugee (< 10 years in Australia); expectant mothers > 20 weeks gestation or or mother who has recently given birth at the abovementioned hospitals and has not been discharged from postnatal ward; attending antenatal clinics or postnatal wards in SESLHD (St George Hospital), NSLHD (Royal North Shore/Hornsby Hospital) and SWSLHD (Liverpool Hospital). Potential participants will be identified by the midwifery and, where available, the cross-cultural worker service. The study compares markers of attendance and completion of CFH checks, child health and development measured by Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Body Mass Index, and Emergency Department Presentations, rates of breastfeeding, and mother’s social and health needs (depression, quality of life and other psychosocial stressors) between those attending FDCC (an integrated CFH hub with navigation support) and those attending usual care not through FDCC.

Anxiety-related mental health disorders, particularly social anxiety disorder, are common comorbid conditions among adults who stutter. Our research has discovered that social anxiety disorder and other DSM-V disorders involving anxiety prevent effective speech treatment for adults who stutter. We have developed and trialled an innovative internet cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) program specifically designed to target the social anxiety experienced by people who stutter. This internet CBT program has been shown to reduce the social anxiety experienced by adults who stutter and even eliminate social anxiety disorder diagnoses. The proposed study aims to investigate whether access to an internet cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) program immediately after a period of speech treatment designed to reduce stuttering behaviours, improves psychological and/or speech outcomes. The research design is a randomised clinical trial of speech restructuring treatment or speech restructuring treatment plus internet CBT treatment for adults who stutter. The outcomes of this research will generate new knowledge about the benefits of concurrently controlling the speech problems and the anxiety related mental health disorders of adults who stutter.

The Breathe Easy Study is an observational study which has been conducted at Joondalup Health Campus (JHC) (and Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH)) since 2015. The objective of the study is to develop a suite of diagnostic tests for paediatric and adult respiratory diseases by evaluating patient-reported symptoms and sound-signatures emitted during a cough event. As part of approved study procedures, participants recruited to the study are required to cough at least five times towards the microphone of a standard smartphone (iPhone 6). Phones are wiped down between participants and research nurses are provided with personal protective equipment (PPE). However, with changing infection control procedures many patients are increasingly required to wear protective apparel such as surgical masks when presenting to healthcare facilities. We would like to know whether masks impede the sound collected by the phone’s microphone. Participants will be required to provide at five coughs, with and without impedance, and we will compare the diagnosis obtained in both instances.

This study aims to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of a novel mobile phone app for the monitoring and management of symptoms in children with cancer. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are a parent or caregiver of a child cancer patient aged 2-18 years currently receiving active treatment for blood cancer or solid tumors, and you have access to a smartphone. Active treatment for cancer is defined as receiving either planned cycles of chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Study details All participants who choose to enrol in this study will be asked to download an app to their phone that will enable the child's parent or caregiver to enter information regarding their current symptoms related to cancer. Participants will be asked to provide information every week via the app, it is anticipated that this will take 5-10 minutes each day. It is hoped this research will demonstrate that use of a mobile app to monitor symptoms is easy to use and acceptable to cancer patients and their caregivers. The app could then be used to help improve health outcomes for future cancer patients by giving them more control over their symptoms, as well as providing options for better management of their symptoms.

This study aims to examine the benefits to society of providing effective PTSD therapy to clients (i.e., does reducing PTSD have economic and social benefits) while also examining the cost-benefit ratio of training costs and client outcomes. Client clinical outcomes (PTSD and depression symptoms) will also be indexed however the focus of the study is on quality of life and health utilisation variables. 30 clinicians, where ‘clinicians’ encompass psychologists, social workers or counsellors or other suitable health professionals, across multiple sites and services in Adelaide (e.g., SA health sites, NGOs), will receive training in an evidence-based trauma therapy, known as Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). These clinicians will then engage with 5-10 clients over the course of the study and provide CPT. Economic variables (e.g., training costs, self-report health service utilisation, Pharmaceutical benefits scheme and Medicare Benefit Schedule data) and clinical outcomes (PTSD severity, mood) will be measured. This study will provide an economic analysis of the downstream benefits associated with treating PTSD relative to the initial costs of training and supervising clinicians. The findings will lead to improved understanding of these critical issues and has significant implications for health services and policy makers who require high quality data when making decisions regarding allocating scarce health resources. We anticipate that the cost-effectiveness of CPT will fall within a range that government/policy makers deem acceptable for a mental health treatments. Additionally, we anticipate that client's PTSD symptoms will reduce after receiving CPT.