ANZCTR search results

Ear disease is a major cause of preventable hearing loss and is very common in rural communities, estimated to affect 1.3 million Australians. Rural community pharmacists are well placed to provide improved ear health care to people who are unable to easily access a general practitioner (GP). The purpose of this study is to apply an ear health intervention to the rural community-pharmacy setting to improve the management of ear disease. Two rural community pharmacies will be recruited for the pilot study. Rural community pharmacists have been identified as highly qualified and easily accessible health professionals in rural and remote communities. They are often the first point of call for many people with minor ailments. Training pharmacists to perform otoscopy (visual examination of the ear canal and the eardrum with an otoscope), tympanometry (testing that measures the function and movement of the ear drum and middle ear) and generate appropriate referrals to general practitioners, may see patients receive ear health care in the most appropriate locations and result in economic savings by avoiding attending emergency departments unnecessarily. An ear health intervention in rural community pharmacy is anticipated to provide additional avenue for patients to access ear care which may result in ear complaints being managed in a more timely manner and thus a reduction in complications with associated financial and societal benefits. Utilising rural community pharmacists to provide an ear health program may improve health outcomes for rural and remote populations.

Antibiotic adverse drug reactions (ADRs), commonly known as "allergies", are a major burden on patients and hospitals. Currently, up to one in four Australian and American patients admitted to hospital will report an antibiotic "allergy" (so-called antibiotic allergy “labels” [AAL]), many of which limit appropriate antibiotic usage. In many instances, patients may undergo challenge with the antibiotic due to incorrect allergy reporting and recording. The nature of a patient’s antibiotic allergy and what antibiotics should be avoided are a common source of confusion for both doctors and patients alike. Penicillin allergy labels in the perioperative space have been associated with inferior patient (e.g. increased rates of periprosthetic infection), hospital (e.g. increased surgical time), and prescribing outcomes (e.g. vancomycin > cefazolin utilization), and conversely in observational and non-controlled studies penicillin allergy “de-labelling” has been associated with improved utilization of beta-lactams and patient outcomes. Further, whilst direct oral penicillin challenge has increasing observational evidence for safety and efficacy, it has not been applied to the perioperative assessment of orthopaedic patients reporting a penicillin allergy. This project is a collaboration between Austin Health, Alfred Health and Royal Melbourne Hospital. The PREPARE study is a feasibility and safety randomized control trial examining feasibility and safety of enhanced antibiotic allergy assessment and penicillin allergy testing in the perioperative setting in surgical patients planned for elective surgery. The PREPARE study will examine the utility of decision support (via smartphone app) utilizing a validated Antibiotic Allergy Assessment Tool9 for patients reporting a penicillin allergy in the perioperative arena in identifying those patients appropriate for a direct oral penicillin challenge in the perioperative clinic. PREPARE hopes to provide a useful point of care toolkit to improve clinician antibiotic allergy knowledge, antibiotic prescribing and medication safety, subsequently benefiting patients, clinicians and hospital networks.

The purpose of this trial is to investigate the acute dose-related effects of intraduodenal administration of calcium alone and in combination with the amino acid, L-tryptophan, on gastrointestinal (GI) hormone secretion, upper gastrointestinal motility, appetite perceptions and ad libitum energy intake in healthy males. We will also evaluate the acute impact of intraduodenal calcium administration on circulating markers of bone turnover (collagen type 1 C-terminal telopeptide (CTX) and parathyroid hormone (PTH)).

Thirty (30) research participants will undertake at-home Sonomat sleep studies, for 3 nights. Screening for sleep disordered breathing with preliminary STOP-Bang questionnaire, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to take place prior to overnight testing. A subset of ten (10) will be referred for concomitant diagnostic PSG and Sonomat studies prior to the first at-home Sonomat recording, whilst breathing room air. This will take place within an outpatient technician-supervised sleep laboratory. Disease severity indices including respiratory function tests and a 6-minute walk test, will be obtained at baseline, 6 and 12 months. The three (3) questionnaires (STOP-Bang, ESS and PSQI), lung function tests and 6 minute walk test will be repeated at 6- and 12-months following sleep studies.

This clinical trial is to evaluate the PK, safety, tolerability and food effects of PRAX-562 in healthy participants aged 18 to 55 years inclusive.

The current pilot study study aims to examine the effectiveness of an 8-session, 2-hour group, CBT and mindfulness intervention in reducing psychological distress and improving quality of life for women living with persistent pelvic pain. Women aged 18 years or over, who experience symptoms of persistent pelvic pain, will choose to participate in small group therapy intervention or Care as Usual levels (Open Label design).

This study is investigating whether routine collection of patient-reported outcome measures electronically at regular timepoints will have an impact on cancer patients symptoms and the number of hospital admissions. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are 18 or older, you have been diagnosed with an invasive solid cancer and you are about to start or have recently started treatment at one of the study hospitals in Queensland. Study details Participants enrolled in this study will be allocated to one of two study groups by chance. Participants allocated to the first group will be asked to complete a short questionnaire about their symptoms and any treatment side effects experienced on a schedule of either weekly, fortnightly or monthly depending on site the participant attends. It is anticipated that filling in the questionnaire will take about 10 minutes. Participants allocated to the second group won't be asked to complete any questionnaires prior to their treatment or follow-up visits, however, they will be asked you to complete questionnaires at regular time points over a 2 year period from consenting to the study. A pre-planned sub-study will assess the effects of the electronic symptom and treatment questionnaires on participants’ partners and/or carers (PROMISE-Carers Substudy. It is hoped this research will determine whether additional collection of patient symptoms and any treatment side effects will result more effective cancer patient care and have a positive impact on unplanned hospital presentations/admissions.

Sixty-six percent of the Australian adult population are overweight or obese. Recently, there has been growing interest in very-low-calorie diets (VLCDs) for weight loss, due to greater long-term weight loss success and being more tolerable than conventional weight loss programs. This nationwide cross-sectional survey aims to understand how Australian adults choose and follow very low calorie diet (VLCD) programs, their food and eating behaviours, and associated effects on self-perceived physical and mental health.

The purpose of this study is to learn whether injecting Pexa-Vec directly into the prostate cancer or into the blood stream is a safe and useful treatment for patients with prostate cancer, before they undergo standard surgery to remove the prostate gland. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged 18 years or older, have been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and you haven't received any previous cancer treatments, including surgery, androgen deprivation therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Study details Participants in this study will have a small sample of prostate tissue (biopsy) taken before they receive any treatment. The first 10 participants will have a single dose of Pexa-Vec modified viral treatment injected directly into their prostate gland while they are in an MRI scanner, at least 4 weeks prior to prostate removal surgery. The second 10 participants will have two doses of Pexa-Vec treatment injected directly into their prostrate gland while they are in an MRI scanner, the first dose will be 6 weeks prior to surgery and the second dose at least 4 weeks prior to surgery. The last 10 participants will have two doses of Pexa-Vec treatment injected into their blood stream, the first dose will be at least 5 weeks prior to surgery and the second dose at least 4 weeks prior to surgery. All participants will undergo prostate removal surgery as scheduled by their doctor and will be asked to attend a series of follow-up appointments for up to 90 days after surgery to discuss their health and any complications they might have had. It is hoped this research may be used to improve health outcomes for future patients with prostate cancer by determining whether Pexa-Vec is safe and effective at changing the appearance of tumour and immune cells, while possibly reducing tumour cell growth prior to prostate removal surgery.

Effect of Yeast Beta Glucan (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) compared to a placebo on cold and flu symptoms in an Adult Population – A double blind, randomised controlled trial. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of baker’s yeast beta glucan (Angel Yeast) for reducing incidence and severity of cold and flu symptoms compared to a placebo in otherwise healthy adults aged 18-65 years old.